


Digimon Tamers: Cyber Battles

by Tenebrae_Vesper



Category: Digimon - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:08:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22450885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tenebrae_Vesper/pseuds/Tenebrae_Vesper
Summary: Even though their dreams of being Tamers became reality, Takuto, Gallantmon, Setsuna and Beelzemon are still trying to understand the bonds and rivalry they share. As they explore the digital realm, the Real World, DigiWorld and Cyberspace are becoming a playground for dangerous Hackers, Digimon and viruses, drawing them into the adventure of their life.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	1. Accentier

**Entry 0**

**Accentier**

_''The accentier watching your every move will guard your heart from falling apart; You'll never be left to walk alone again – That's right: Today... tomorrow... even a hundred years from now, your journey will never end!''_

_– **Accentier** by Digimon World -Next 0rder-_

**xXxXxXx**

_''Royal Saber!''_

The electric beam of energy suddenly missed it's target. The knight clad in white, red and golden armor and a crimson cloak looked around as he heard a motorcycle revving up, trying to focus on his moving target.

_''Double Impact!''_

He rose his shield, Aegis, shielding himself from the bullets his opponent fired at him. He then quickly lowered his shield, charging up his lance, Gram, with energy and firing it at his opponent again.

_''Royal Saber!''_

His opponent quickly drove away on the black and red motorcycle, escaping the blast of energy that destroyed the wall of rocks that was behind him a moment earlier. The knight frowned, frustrated by his failure to hit his opponent.

''Damn it!'' he cursed as he looked around, trying to stay on target. He had managed to lock-on the giant red and black motorcycle, Behemoth, only to realize in horror that his opponent, who was driving said motorcycle, was suddenly missing.

_''Darkness Claw!''_

He had just managed to turn around to see his opponent lunging at him, his claws infused with dark energy. He rose his lance, with his opponent's claws clashing against it. Both reached a standstill, gold eyes staring at red, with both trying to push each other away. His opponent, a tall humanoid demon clad in black leather biker clothes and a purple mask, grinned, seemingly enjoying himself.

''Seems like you have trouble taking me down,'' Beelzemon said, noticing the frustration in Gallantmon's eyes.

''I am not going to give up until I have beaten you!'' Gallantmon replied, stepping back and then lunging again at Beelzemon, attempting to stab the Demon Lord with his lance. Beelzemon, being more agile, quickly dodged the Royal Knight's attack and reached for his Berenjena shotgun that was wrapped in cables on his back.

_''Double Impact!''_

He rapidly fired multiple rounds of bullets from his gun, managing to slightly scrape Gallantmon's cheek, before realizing that that the Royal Knight was charging at him, tackling him right into another rock formation. The Berenjena shotgun flew out of his hand and he felt a sudden surge of pain coming from his back and spreading through his body.

Gallantmon then stepped back, looking just as tired as he was. Breathing heavily, Beelzemon managed to get up, with Gallantmon taking another battle stance, feeling tense. However, instead of attacking him Beelzemon walked over to pick up his shotgun, with Gallantmon surprisingly letting him to do so. Beelzemon then pointed the gun at Gallantmon.

''I assume it's now time for round two,'' he said.

''If you expect me to show any weakness, you're wrong,'' Gallantmon replied, pointing his lance at the Demon Lord.

''That's what I thought,'' Beelzemon grinned.

The two rivals then suddenly lunged once again at each other, resulting in another clash, unable to overpower their opponent. Even though the two were natural enemies due to belonging to two opposing groups, The Royal Knights and The Seven Great Demon Lords, this rivalry was something personal, something that had nothing to do with their respective companions.

Even though they would fight each other over and over again, they knew that in this kind of battle, only one of them would end up walking away victorious.


	2. Re: Digitize

**Entry 1**

**Re: Digitize**

_''After an endless dream, in this world of nothingness, it seems as if our beloved dreams will lose. Even with these unreliable wings, covered in images that tend to stay, I'm sure we can fly, oh yeah!''_

– _**Butter-Fly**_ _by Digimon Adventure tri._

**xXxXxXx**

''Oh, no,'' Momotsuka Takuto groaned as he watched his opponent's Sakuyamon taking down his BanchoLeomon with a well-placed Amethyst Mandala. His opponent, titled the Sakura Tamer, won the battle. As he was taken back to the lobby, he checked the chat screen, with his opponent commenting on the lack of Digimon with healing abilities in Takuto's team. Takuto grumbled, ''Yeah, I know.''

He wrote back to his opponent, thanking them for the challenging battle and advice and promising that he'll keep on improving, then logged out of the chat. He stretched his arms, looking at his team. He felt that it was rather decent, but he had to agree with his opponent that he was indeed lacking a Digimon with healing abilities, having focused too much on the offense. He looked down at the title he had given himself in the game, Crimson Tamer, feeling that he really needed to live up to his standards. For starters, he needed to figure out how to become better in online PvP matches.

''Okay, maybe I could add Sistermon Blanc into the team, she has healing abilities,'' Takuto muttered to himself as he started to make changes to his team.

Being a 16-year-old teenager with nothing to do during summer vacation, Takuto spent most of his time playing _Digimon Story: Lost World_ , a new Digimon game that had recently come out. He had managed to already complete the entire main storyline, having played the game day and night, and was currently working on the surprisingly huge post-game content which was throwing new challenges against him that became only more difficult the more he played the game. He had also managed to get the code that let him download an app where he could transfer up to three of his Digimon from his party to his smartphone and do various quests.

It was rather fun, but he wished that he had someone to talk to about the game in real life rather than just do online chats. However, all of his friends were away during the summer vacation and he was left at home, trying to figure out what to do next. After swapping his Machinedramon with Sistermon Blanc, he tried to find another player online, only to realize that either no one was there or they weren't interested in battling him. He sighed, leaning back against his swivel chair and running his fingers through his messy black hair.

Looking around his room, there were posters of the _Digimon Adventure_ , _Digimon Tamers_ and _Digimon Universe Appli Monsters_ anime on the walls. He also had a stack of Digimon cards set next to an Omegamon and Alphamon figurine on his desk, as well as an Agumon plushie and a _Digimon Chronicle X_ V-Pet device placed on the top of his bookshelf. To top it off, he was also wearing red-framed swimming goggles, as he thought that they would look rather cool on him, and a red short-sleeved hoodie with the black Digital Hazard print on it.

He was already feeling like an actual Tamer, but different from the anime, he knew that there was no way to have a Digimon partner in real life. Nevertheless, he was satisfied with the Digimon team he had in the game and worked diligently on improving his own abilities.

''If Digimon were only real…'' Takuto muttered. ''I mean, they _are_ more than just data, right?''

The desire to talk to someone about his theories returned, this time stronger. He closed his laptop and picked his smartphone up, deciding to take a walk to clear his head. Perhaps he would even get a notification about another quest. He then left his room, going downstairs, where he saw his mother watching a cooking competition on TV.

''I'm going out,'' he told her. His mother briefly turned to him, with Takuto noticing that she was holding a pen and a notebook.

''Okay, but don't come back home too late,'' Kimiko replied before turning her attention back to the cooking show and scribbling down the recipe one of the contestants used, muttering, ''I might make this dish for dinner.''

Takuto didn't feel well, knowing that, while Kimiko was a good cook, she had an odd habit of adding new stuff to a recipe that often had disastrous results. She'd claim that she could improve the recipe and adored her hobby, but Takuto didn't feel really confident in her skills. He just gave her an awkward smile and left, planning to go to the park that was a 5 minute walk away from his house.

As he waited at the crosswalk for a moving truck to pass by, he took out his smartphone and turned the _Digimon Story: Lost World_ app, wondering if he got any new quests. His eyes widened as he realized that he had forgotten to transfer Omegamon and Mastemon into the app, leaving him only with Gallantmon. Nevertheless, he had faith in his favorite Digimon, figuring he could solo any quest with Gallantmon.

After finally arriving at the park, he noticed that it was empty, feeling a little disappointed. He sat down on a swing and opened the app. His heart started racing as he got a notification for a quest. He opened it, the quest being called _Demon Lord Challenge – The Duelist of Finality_. Taking a deep breath, he accepted the challenge, with his Gallantmon ended up facing a Beelzemon.

''At least it's just one Digimon,'' Takuto muttered, shuddering as he realized that, after Beelzemon took down a good portion of Gallantmon's HP, that he was in for a tough fight.

**xXx**

''Let's see…'' Takashi Setsuna muttered as she placed the box in the corner of her room. She felt a little tired, having moved stuff around for most of the day and wanted to take a pause, as she figured that she could unpack the rest of the boxes later.

She stretched her arms, walking over to the bag that held her laptop and took it out. She planned on playing _Digimon Story: Lost World_ for a bit, wanting to check on the Digimon she had left at the Digi-Isle to train. As much as she remembered, her Rapidmon and RizeGreymon needed a few more levels to finally digivolve into MegaGargomon and ShineGreymon.

As she waited for the save file to load, the screen went briefly black and she was met with the reflection of a 16-year-old girl with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a black hoodie T-shirt with a white print that showed the face of a Digimon with a mask and wings. Two guns were crossed below the Digimon's face and there was the letter _B_ below the crossed guns.

Setsuna then looked around at the empty room and then glanced at one of the boxes, giving a small smirk. She walked over to the box that held a bunch of plush toys, taking out an Impmon plushie that had black-framed motorcycle goggles tied around its head. The plushie and the goggles had been something of a joke gift from a former friend of hers who liked to tease Setsuna about her love for Digimon. Setsuna frowned at the memory of her former friend, but then smiled as she took the goggles off and put them around her neck, placing the plushie on the desk next to her laptop.

As she checked the Digi-Isle, she was satisfied when she saw that both Rapidmon and RizeGreymon have finally reached the level that would allow them to digivolve to their Mega forms. She let them join her current party, wondering if there were any changes she needed to get done. So far, everything seemed to be well, so she focused on her most prized fighter, Beelzemon.

She had planned to let him digivolve into his Blast Mode, but was disappointed to see that he still lacked the stats needed for that, even though he was already on a high level. She knew that she could de-digivolve him back to Baalmon and improve his stats naturally, or get items that would boosts his stats artificially.

''Artifical stats boost it is,'' she said, suddenly remembering the _Digimon Story: Lost World_ app. She wondered if there were any notifications for quests, as they would always yield EXP and consumable items that would improve the Digimon's stats.

As she checked the app, she found a notification and smiled, quickly removing Myotismon, GranDracmon and SkullGreymon from her current party and adding Beelzemon. Having titled herself Shadow Tamer, she always had a bit of an affinity for more demonic-looking Digimon. The quest itself was titled _Royal Knights Challenge – The Crimson Knight_. As she had expected, her opponent ended up being a Gallantmon. Her Beelzemon went first, with Setsuna increasing his speed with using a Digi-Card, allowing him to gain one more turn after Gallantmon performed his attack. She frowned as she saw how much damage Gallantmon did.

''Not if I have a say in this battle,'' she muttered, planning her next move.

**xXx**

Gallantmon charged at Beelzemon, who dodged the former, with Gallantmon breaking the rock formation that was behind the Demon Lord. So far, Beelzemon hadn't attacked him and was only evading his attacks. Gallantmon wasn't sure what Beelzemon's plan was, but he was confident that he would end up doing a counterattack.

 _''Double Impact!''_ Beelzemon pointed both of his shotguns at Gallantmon who, despite having his shield up, still got hit by the bullets. Despite being clad in holy armor refined and constructed from 99.9% pure Chrome Digizoid, Beelzemon's bullets still managed to do damage to him. Beelzemon chuckled. ''What's wrong? You're not so tough now!''

''It's not over yet,'' Gallantmon replied, pointing his shield right at Beelzemon, with the latter stopping firing at the Royal Knight once he realized that Gallantmon was charging up for an powerful attack. _''Final El-_ Agh! _''_

The two Digimon were surprised when the ground started shaking. Suddenly, it started thundering, with data rifts appearing around them.

''This is not good,'' Gallantmon muttered, backing away.

''What made you think that?'' Beelzemon asked sarcastically as he glanced at Gallantmon.

Currently, they were inside a valley on the surface layer of the DigiWorld, that layer being a desert. An orb surrounded by data streams was floating above them, with both Digimon knowing that it represented the Real World. Suddenly, the rifts grew bigger, with a cloud of data exploding and overwhelming them. Then, both disappeared, leaving the area empty.

**xXx**

''What's going on?'' Setsuna rose an eyebrow, frowning as her smartphone suddenly froze in the middle of the battle. ''I'm going to lose all my progress because of this.'' Her eyes widened in surprise when the smartphone suddenly went black, with a message appearing on it.

_Are you willing to risk your soul for an adventure?_

''What is this?'' Setsuna muttered, standing up as she stared at her smartphone. She looked around, wondering if she was on some kind of hidden camera show. She then turned back to the message, which gave her the choice to select either _Yes_ or _No_.

She tilted her head, feeling hesistant as her finger hovering over the answers. She was confused by the question, wondering what it meant. _This has to be some kind of joke, right? I hope that this isn't a virus or anything like that. Or maybe I had managed to accidentally unlock a new quest? Besides, what am I supposed to risk my soul for?_

''Okay!'' she said, taking a deep breath and pressing _Yes_.

Her smartphone then turned dark, almost falling out of her hands when her vision suddenly got hazy. In the next moment, she realized that nothing was wrong with her vision, but an actual fog was suddenly surrounding her, with her smarphone starting to glow brightly. Her ears were filled with a static noise and as she looked down, to her shock, she noticed her skin turning into glowing purple particles.

''What's going on?!'' she screamed in panic.

A bright white light overwhelmed her and then, everything went dark.

**xXx**

''Com'n,'' Takuto muttered, panicking slightly when Beelzemon's Double Impact attack hit Gallantmon, causing critical damage. He decided to use Gallantmon's Final Elysion attack to finish Beelzemon off, only for his smartphone to freeze suddenly in the middle of the battle. ''Hey! I was about to win this!''

He sighed in annoyance, fearing that he would lose his current progress. He then glanced back at his smartphone, hoping that the game didn't completely crash, only to be surprised when he saw a message with a _Yes_ or _No_ answer on it.

_Are you willing to risk your soul for an adventure?_

''An adventure?'' Takuto muttered. ''What is this supposed to mean?''

At first, he thought that it was some kind of advertisement, only to realize that he couldn't exit the message unless he answered the question. He jumped off the swing, staring quietly at the message, his finger hovering over the answers. He was a bit reluctant about answering, as he wasn't sure what this message was about. He felt a light breeze blowing and looked around, trying to see whether there was anyone watching him. However, there wasn't anyone. He looked back at the message.

''Am I willing to risk my soul for an adventure?'' he muttered. His eyes widened as he realized something. ''Does this mean-'' He smiled. ''Let's go!''

He pressed the _Yes_ answer. Suddenly, the wind picked up, with Takuto looking around in surprise as a fog formed around him. He looked down at his body, noticing his hands disolving into glowing red particles. A bright light overwhelmed him and then, everything turning dark.

**xXx**

The first thing he felt was a huge headache and dizziness. Takuto opened his eyes, his vision being a bit blurry, but quickly becoming clear. To his shock, he realized that he wasn't at the park anymore, but was standing on some kind of platform. Surrounding him were other platforms with narrow paths connecting each platform. As he looked down, it looked like he was standing on some kind of circular port, with a holographic screen hovering next to it.

Still stunned, he stepped off, walking on the platform and looked around in awe. He could see strange streams above him and the lines that were covering the platforms were pulsing, as if transporting something.

''Where am I?'' he muttered, looking down at his smartphone, realizing that the message had changed.

_Digitize complete._

''Digitize?'' Takuto was speechless at first, only for a strange feeling to overwhelm him. ''Am I…? Is this…? No way!''

He suddenly turned back to the holographic screen, hoping that it would tell him where exactly he was or what happened. He tapped on it and to his relief, the screen did show him something.

_Cyberspace, Community Area._

''This isn't the Digital World,'' Takuto muttered, feeling a bit disappointed. However, he was still curious about this Cyberspace. He started walking, wondering whether there was anyone else here as it felt somewhat empty. He had realized that the streams above him were actually data, probably transporting something. He figured that he may have arrived here via one of those streams.

Takuto grinned, curious about his surroundings. There was a lot to explore and he was more than ready to dive into this new world.

**xXx**

Setsuna had managed to get up to a higher platform to get a better view of her surroundings. She was shocked when she found herself at the Cyberspace, having realized that her body had been turned into literal data and brought here.

 _Digitize complete._ These words played in her head over and over again. Once the shock wore off, she tried to figure out what exactly the deal was with this place. So far, she hadn't run into anyone, but she figured that the Community Area wouldn't be empty like this. She had hoped that she would encounter someone who would explain to her what was going on.

To her luck, she noticed a teenager walking past. He didn't seem to have noticed her, though. At first, she thought about calling out for him, but didn't. Instead, she decided to get down of the platform and follow him, deciding that she would figure out on her own what was going on.

However, as she got on the path that led her to a lower platform, she noticed that the data streams above her changed, turning black and red, and shot down in the distance. Setsuna realized that something else appeared, deciding to explore it.

**xXx**

Takuto was running towards where he saw the stream, feeling his heart racing. As he had reached the area where the stream hit, he was stunned to see two giant purplish cyborg dragon-like Digimon emerge, followed by another cyborg Digimon covered in Red Digizoid armor. He had recognized the Digimon as two Gigadramon and a Chaosdramon, having faced them several times during his playthrough of _Digimon Story: Lost World_. He had also noticed another human, a guy standing on a platform that was at Chaosdramon's height, looking down at the two Digimon in front of him.

Takuto felt a rush of excitement when he realized that the Digimon were Gallantmon and Beelzemon and that he'd be witnessing an actual Digimon battle unfolding in front of his eyes. However, that excitement quickly vanished when he realized that he would be caught up in the battle too with absolutely no protection.

''Huh?'' He suddenly heard steps behind him and turned, seeing a teenage girl running up to him.

''What's going on here?'' she asked.

''Honestly, I have no idea,'' Takuto told her, with both looking back at the Digimon. Both Beelzemon and Gallantmon were focused on the two Gigadramon and Chaosdramon, as well as the guy who seemed to be commanding them.

''Who the hell are you?'' Beelzemon asked.

''I don't have to introduce myself as you won't be around for much longer,'' the guy said, holding up a bracelet that projected a holographic screen and typed something on it. Suddenly, their surroundings became darker, with a huge transparent dome covering the area.

''Did he just hack this place?'' Takuto muttered.

''Seems so,'' Setsuna replied, staring at the Hacker and frowning. ''There is also possibility that he might've hacked his own Digimon to make them more powerful.''

''What?'' Takuto stared at her, then looked back at the Digimon.

''What do you want?'' Gallantmon asked.

''Your data, of course,'' the Hacker replied. ''I did my research and the data of Digimon who are members of certain groups, like the Royal Knights or Demon Lords, sell rather well on the black market.''

Gallantmon and Beelzemon frowned, realizing that this guy wasn't joking. They took a battle stance, with the two Gigadramon pointing their claws at them.

_''Genocide Gear!''_

Both fired a barrage of missiles from their claws, with the missiles hitting both Gallantmon and Beelzemon, creating several small explosions. The Hacker grinned in satisfaction, only for the look on his expression changing to complete shock when Beelzemon suddenly jumped out of the smoke and punched one of the Gigadramon straight in the face, causing it to fall down.

_''Royal Saber!''_

An electric beam of energy was fired at the second Gigadramon, taking it down. Gallantmon swung his lance, his cape fluttering as the smoke around him cleared. Beelzemon landed next to him, smirking as he saw the stunned look on the Hacker's expression. Takuto and Setsuna stared at the two Mega level Digimon in awe, being quite impressed by the power they had displayed.

''I believe that you have underestimated us,'' Beelzemon said, infusing his claws with dark energy.

''We're not going to give up our data without a fight,'' Gallantmon pointed his lance at the Hacker. ''Furthermore, I am not letting someone with obviously evil intentions to run around. As a Royal Knight, I cannot let that happen!''

''You really had to add that?'' Beelzemon said in a deadpan tone, giving Gallantmon a side glance. He sounded as if he had heard this or a similar speech numerous times. Gallantmon just gave him an annoyed look.

''I'll deal with you later,'' he muttered, then turning to the two Gigadramon, who had managed to get up, and the Chasodramon.

_''Guilty Claw!''_

Both Gigadramon lunged at Beelzemon and Gallantmon, sending blades of air at both. Beelzemon and Gallantmon managed to quickly dodge the attacks. Beelzemon managed to jump on the back of one of the Gigadramon, who attemped to shake him off. The Gigadramon roared in pain as Beelzemon dug his claws deep into his back in order to hold on. He saw the other Gigadramon flying at him, his claws open, and took the Berenjena shotgun that was on his back and fired at the Gigadramon.

_''Double Impact!''_

The bullets hit the Gigadramon straight at the chest, with the Gigadramon dissolving into data particles. The Gigadramon Beelzemon held onto suddenly lunged forward, trying to shake off the Demon Lord, who quickly placed the gun on his back and dug his claws further under the Gigadramon's skin in order to hold on. The Gigadramon roared and suddenly turned towards Takuto and Setsuna, who both gasped as the Digimon started to fly towards them in what seemed to be a kamikaze dive.

Beelzemon's eyes narrowed as he realized what the Gigadramon was about to do and let go of the Digimon, falling back and grabbing the Gigadramon's tail in the process, using the momentum to slam the huge cyborg dragon into the ground. Takuto and Setsuna were quite amazed, with Beelzemon landing in front of them, his back turned to them as he looked at the Gigadramon in front of him.

''That was awesome!'' Setsuna exclaimed. Beelzemon briefly glanced at the two, spotting a small smirk as he heard her comment. He then took out both of his shotguns and pointed it at the Gigadramon as he tried to get up.

_''Double Impact!''_

The bullets had hit their mark, with the Gigadramon dissolving into data particles. Beelzemon then turned to Chaosdramon, noticing that the latter was fighting Gallantmon. The Royal Knight had charged right past the two Gigadramon and went straight for the Mega level Digimon, attempting to drive his lance into Chaosdramon's armor. However, Chaosdramon blocked Gram with one of his claws, sending Gallantmon flying back. Undeterred, Gallantmon charged at Chaosdramon once again.

_''Hyper Infinity Cannon!''_

Chasodramon unleased twin beams from the cannons on his back, causing Gallantmon to briefly stop and block the beams with his shield and continue with his attack.

_''Royal Saber!''_

He lunged at Chaosdramon, charging up his lance and hit the Digimon point-blank in the chest, firing an energy beam at the crack his attack had created. The Chaosdramon stumbled back, only to suddenly point his right claw at Gallantmon.

_''Destroyed Hook!''_

Chaosdramon fired an organic missile at Gallantmon, which hit the Royal Knight. Even though he had managed to withstand the attack, he fell on his knee, much to everyone's surprise. Gallantmon felt a sudden surge of pain spreading through his body, the pain coming straight from his DigiCore.

''What- What is this?'' he asked.

''Oh, it is just a little virus I had equiped Chaosdramon with in order to distort your data,'' the Hacker had replied. ''I already had a feeling it wouldn't be so easy to get your data.''

''You- agh!'' Gallantmon's groaned as he felt another surge of pain rushing through his body. He knew he wouldn't be able to fight in this condition.

''Chaosdramon, finish him off!'' the Hacker ordered, smirking.

_''Chaos Crusher!''_

Gallantmon's eyes widened as Chasodramon was about to slice his with the claws on his arms. He tried to get up, but the numbing pain prevented him from doing so.

_''Double Impact!''_

A barrage of bullets hit Chaosdramon, who stopped his attack. Gallantmon turned his head, only to see Beelzemon rushing towards them. Chaosdramon turned to the Demon Lord, who was glaring back at him.

''Beelzemon…'' Gallantmon muttered, glancing at the Demon Lord as he tried to get up.

''It would be a real shame if you went down like this,'' Beelzemon said, stepping towards Chaosdramon. ''Besides, we had a deal, didn't we?''

''I-I know,'' Gallantmon said, groaning as he leaned against his lance in order to get up. He took a deep breath, pointing his shield at Chaosdramon. ''I hope you know where to aim, Beelzemon.''

''Tsk, you don't have to tell me that.'' Beelzemon rolled his eyes at Gallantmon's comment, but took it in stride. He aimed one of his shotguns at Chaosdramon, who prepared for an another attack. The Hacker frowned, wondering what they were up to now. Suddenly, Gallantmon's shield started to charge up.

_''Final Elysion!''_

Gallantmon fired a powerful beam of energy from Aegis at Chaosdramon, hitting him straight in the chest. The machine Digimon had stumbled back, but managed to tank the attack, with the Hacker laughing.

''Is that it- What?!''

He was stunned to see Beelzemon suddenly running up to Chaosdramon, pointing his Berenjena shotgun at him. The Demon Lord locked-on the spot that Gallantmon had managed to crack and damage even more with his last attack.

_''Heartbreak Shot!''_

He fired at the weak spot, the bullet going straight through Chaosdramon. The Digimon roared in pain, as the bullet went through his DigiCore, and dissolved into data particles. Beelzemon then turned towards the Hacker, who didn't look so confident anymore.

''So, what was that about taking our data?'' he asked as he placed the shotgun into the holster strapped to his leg and cracked his knuckles. The Hacker looked freaked out, quickly typing something on his bracelet. A stream of data covered him and he had vanished, with Beelzemon looking rather disappointed that he had ran away. The dome that surrounded the area had also disappeared.

''Gallantmon!''

He turned around, noticing the boy from earlier crouching next to Gallantmon, who had fallen down on his knees again, obviously in agony. Even though Chaosdramon had been deleted, it seemed that the virus was still in Gallantmon's system.

''Aghr-'' Gallantmon took a sharp breath, feeling another surge of pain rushing through his body. He glanced to his side, noticing Takuto, who looked quite worried. ''I'll- I'll be fine-''

''Don't lie to yourself,'' Takuto told him, surprising Gallantmon. ''Whatever this virus is, it's already affecting you. We need to do something about it!''

''Why would you even- Aghr-!'' Gallantmon's lance and sword disappeared as he leaned over. He clutched his chest with his hand. ''Why are you worried about me?''

Takuto stared at Gallantmon in surprise, realizing that to this Digimon, he was just a stranger. He didn't even know whether Gallantmon had even interacted with humans before. He then frowned.

''That doesn't matter,'' he said. ''We need to make sure that you'll be okay.''

''Do you even have any idea what to do?'' Takuto looked up, realizing that the girl who ran into him was the one who asked him this question. He looked down, shaking his head.

''No…'' he muttered, feeling helpless to see Gallantmon clutching his chest in pain once again. However, this time, the Digital Hazard on his chest started to glow, flashing in a red colour. ''What's going on? Gallantmon…''

''Get away from him, now!''

Takuto's attention turned back to Setsuna as she yelled at him. She was already backing away, along with Beelzemon. Takuto turned back to Gallantmon as the latter screamed in agony, crimson data particles suddenly surrounding him. He quickly backed away, unsure what he was supposed to do. He wanted to help Gallantmon, but it was clear that there was nothing that he could do.

Setsuna meanwhile tried to get away from Gallantmon, having an incredibly bad feeling about this. Whatever this virus Chaosdramon had injected into Gallantmon was, it was not only messing with his system, but also doing something worse.

To everyone's shock, Gallantmon broke into data particles, but those data particles then merged, with a bright red light surrounding him and then suddenly turning into a fiery inferno. As the inferno subsided, it revealed a huge draconic Digimon with a Digital Hazard on his chest. The Digimon roared, spreading his tattered wings, his serpentine body being covered in red scales.

''This is not what I had expected…'' Beelzemon muttered, clenching his fist. He knew that he was in for a tough fight as he couldn't let this monstrosity just roam around, especially since he looked like he was capable of destroying everything in his path.

''That's Megidramon,'' Setsuna said, with Beelzemon glancing at her. ''That virus had probably corrupted his data, causing Gallantmon to turn into Megidramon. However, I have my doubts about him being even aware of what actually is going on.''

Suddenly, Megidramon turned towards Takuto, who tried to back away, only to trip and fall on his back. It seemed that the sudden movement had triggered Megidramon, as he growled, his eyes glowing brightly as he glared at Takuto.

''Gallantmon…''

Takuto stared back in horror at the draconic Digimon, knowing that he was now Megidramon's target.


	3. The Digital Hazard

**Entry 2**

**The Digital Hazard**

_''The gates are going to open, if you resist them, oh. Now, you can only win, if you put everything on one card, oh. Your dreams fight with you, if you never forget them, oh. Get up and fight! Show them who you really are! Many tears flow into the valley today. Digital Worlds are suddenly becoming real. Your powers are growing stronger every time, play your game!''_

_– **Spiel dein Spiel** by Digimon Tamers_

**xXxXxXx**

Takuto stared in horror as Megidramon growled, leaning over him. It looked as if Megidramon was about take a bite out of him or devour him completely. This was certainly not how he though his adventure would end, being eaten by the Digimon who he looked up to.

_''Double Impact!''_

Megidramon roared angrily as he got suddenly hit by a barrage of bullets. He turned towards Beelzemon, who stood his ground. While he was unnerved by the fact that his rival was capable of turning into this monstrosity, he knew that he had to do something about it, that he couldn't allow for Megidramon to cause chaos. He smirked, aware of the irony, as by his nature of a Demon Lord, he should be the one to cause chaos. He observed calmly as Megidramon growled at him.

''Com'n, then,'' he said, taunting the Evil Dragon Digimon.

Megidramon suddenly lunged at him, opening his mouth, with acidic saliva dripping down. Beelzemon dodged it, quickly pointing his shotguns at Megidramon.

_''Double Impact!''_

Megidramon used his tail to deflect the bullets and turned towards Beelzemon, apparently attempting to bite his head of. Beelzemon quickly dodged the demonic dragon again, with Megidramon growling at him.

_''Megiddo Flame!''_

He fired a blast of flames at Beelzemon, attempting to reduce him to digital ashes. Realizing that he wouldn't be able to dodge again, Beelzemon shielded himself, screaming in agony as the inferno surrounded him, burning and eating into his skin.

''Beelzemon!'' Setsuna screamed, feeling helpless. She wanted to do something, anything to help Beelzemon, but there was nothing she could do. She wasn't Beelzemon's Tamer and considering how this wasn't a game, she knew that she and the boy she met could actually die here. _What should I do?_

As the inferno subsided, Megidramon growled, watching Beelzemon falling on his knees. His clothes and skin were burnt and puffs of smoke were still emanating from his body, but he was still alive, even after such powerful attack.

''D-Damnit…'' Beelzemon coughed. Even though he had survived the attack, it didn't mean that he didn't take significant damage. His tail flicked as he attempted to get up, glancing at Megidramon who suddenly lunged at him, his jaws wide open.

''Stop!'' Distracted by the sudden scream, Megidramon turned to Setsuna, who backed away anxiously. Realizing that she made Megidramon only angrier, she quickly turned around and ran, hoping that the Digimon would follow her. _If I'm already going to be a bait, then it should be worth it._

_''Hell Howling!''_

Setsuna screamed as a powerful shockwave knocked her off her feet. Megidramon's attack missed her, but it did blow up the ground below her. She turned around, only to see Beelzemon suddenly lunge at Megidramon, punching the dragon Digimon right into his face. However, before he could do much, Megidramon grabbed Beelzemon with his tail and slammed the Demon Lord against the ground and throwing him towards Setsuna.

Beelzemon hit the ground, badly bruised. He tried to get up, his senses screaming in agony, telling him to rest and recover. However, he knew that he had to continue to fight. He was surprised when Setsuna walked over to him and tried to help him get up.

''Do you have any idea how to deal with Megidramon?'' she asked.

''Not really,'' Beelzemon muttered, with the two looking over to Takuto, who stepped in front of Megidramon.

''What is he doing?'' Setsuna asked, stunned. ''He's going to get himself killed!''

Takuto didn't pay attention to any of them. Clenching his fist, he looked at Megidramon with a determined look on his expression.

''I know that you can hear me,'' he said. ''Please, Gallantmon, I know that this isn't you! You are a Royal Knight, aren't you? You're a Digimon set on protecting the Digital World, not destroying it! You need fight back against that virus!''

''What are you doing?! Get away from him!'' Setsuna screamed as Megidramon roared. However, Takuto ignored both of them and took another step forward.

''If anything, I could help you,'' Takuto continued, with Megidramon observing him, still growling. ''As a matter of fact, I want to help you! I want to help you protect the Digital World!''

Suddenly, Takuto's eyes widened as he heard what seemed to be a heartbeat, loud and clear. He felt a rush of energy, his vision turning red and he noticed that Megidramon's body was glowing red as well. _What's going on?!_

However, before he could get an answer, Megidramon roared again, grabbing Takuto with his tail and lifting him up. Takuto screamed in pain, with the red aura surrounding him turning into red data particles which suddenly started to get absorbed by Megidramon. _What is happening to me?_

''Those data particles…'' Setsuna muttered, with Beelzemon glancing at her, just as stunned as she was. ''Is that Digisoul?''

Beelzemon stared at her for a moment, before turning his attention back to Megidramon. Suddenly, the Digital Hazard on Megidramon's chest started to glow, with their surroundings starting to shake uncontrollably. Around them, tears started to form in the network structure, releasing small streams of data and the floor underneath them was cracking. It felt as if the whole Cyberspace was falling apart.

''Megidramon's shattering the entire digital reality,'' Setsuna said as she stared in horror. ''Not to mention, that Digisoul he had absorbed gave him an additional power boost.''

''There has to be a way to stop him,'' Beelzemon said, his eyes narrowing.

''Maybe there is a way,'' Setsuna replied, pointing at Megidramon's chest plate. ''If you shatter that, this destruction might stop.''

''Are you sure?'' Beelzemon cast her a doubtful look. ''There is no room for error here.''

''It's not like we have much of a cho-'' Setsuna suddenly screamed when the floor underneath them started to shatter. Beelzemon quickly picked her up and jumped away, with a hole opening in the ground.

''Hold on!'' he told her, dodging the shattering ground and placing her on an elevated platform. He then turned to Megidramon, only to see the Digimon let out a mighty roar, covering the entire Cyberspace in red light. Black Digital Hazards continued to appear, surrounding all of them, with the red light blinding everyone.

Then, everything went dark.

**xXx**

As Beelzemon woke up, he looked around, realizing that he wasn't anymore inside the Cyberspace. Instead, he seemed to have landed in some sort of deserted wasteland. He looked around, noticing both the girl and the boy lying on the ground, unconscious, with Megidramon howling and going berserk. The Digital Hazard on Megidramon's chest was still glowing, causing a rift in the ground and rocks shifting. As he looked upwards, he saw the orb that was the Real World.

 _We're back in the Digital World?_ He smirked. _At least I'm back on familiar territory._

Taking a deep breath, he took a step towards Megidramon. To his surprise, he noticed that the girl was moving, looking up to him. She was shaking, but managed to still get up. She gave him a determined look, with Beelzemon nodding.

''It's time to put an end to this,'' he said, glancing at Megidramon. ''You, you said to shatter the chest plate, right?''

''Yeah,'' Setsuna nodded. ''Also, the name is Takashi Setsuna.''

''Got it,'' Beelzemon said, only to hear the distant sound of a roaring engine. Both looked up, only to see a black and red motorcycle going towards them. Beelzemon quickly jumped on Behemoth and drove towards Megidramon, hoping that the additional speed would give him an advantage over the demonic dragon Digimon.

Setsuna meanwhile ran over to Takuto, checking on him. Luckily, he was still breathing, but he seemed to be quite hurt considering how badly bruised he was.

''Hey, hey, wake up,'' Setsuna said, trying to wake him up. Takuto moved, looking up at her.

''What... What happened...'' he stammered and glanced past her, noticing Beelzemon driving towards Megidramon. Focusing on the demonic dragon, Beelzemon drew out his Berenjena shotgun and aimed towards Megidramon.

 _''Double Impact!''_ He fired at Megidramon, aiming for the chest plate with the Digital Hazard. To his annoyance, the bullets didn't do much damage. Megidramon attempted to grab him with his tail again, but Beelzemon managed to dodge it, thanks to Behemoth's speed. He then aimed for Megidramon's back. _''Double Impact!''_

Megidramon growled in anger and pain, turning towards Beelzemon. His mouth filled with flames. _''Megiddo Flame!''_

Beelzemon quickly drove away, escaping the inferno. He then drove up towards a hill in hopes of getting a better vantage point. However, before he could plan his next move, Megidramon turned again towards him.

_''Megiddo Flame!''_

''Damnit!'' Beelzemon cursed, driving away and barely dodging the flames again. _The way things are now, I won't get anything done!_ He gasped as he quickly avoided a rift in the ground that had appeared out of nowhere. _This isn't looking good for me. I need to figure a way out of this and I need to do it quickly or else Megidramon will destroy all of us._

Beelzemon suddenly realized something and with a determined look, he drove towards Megidramon. He dodged another one of Megidramon's destructive Megiddo Flame attacks and aimed Behemoth towards Megidramon's tail. Just as he predicted, Megidramon attempted to slam his tail against Beelzemon, but the Demon Lord jumped off Behemoth and gripped Megidramon's tail, using it as a form of leverage to get closer to Megidramon's chest plate, pointing his Berenjena shotgun at it.

_''Heartbreak Shot!''_

To his relief, the chest plate had cracked. However, the moment of joy was short-lived as Megidramon bit into Beelzemon's leg and tossed him away like a ragdoll. Beelzemon screamed in agony, hitting the ground hard. Pain pulsed through his body, with him being barely able to move. He could feel the acid from Megidramon's saliva eating through the leather clothing and burning his skin.

''This isn't looking good,'' Setsuna muttered as she and Takuto stared at the scene before them with devastated looks on their expressions. Takuto was especially horrified as he realized what happened.

''This is all my fault,'' he said, with Setsuna glancing at him. ''I made Megidramon so strong, didn't I? If it weren't for me, this wouldn't have happened!''

To Setsuna's surprise, red data particles started to surround him again, but Takuto didn't seem to notice. Instead, he just continued to mutter to himself, still having that look of horror on his expression.

''This is all my fault! If it weren't for me being here, none of this would've happened!'' he said, with the data particles surrounding him becoming darker and darker. Megidramon roared, suddenly getting surrounded by a dark red light, different from the one before. Setsuna's eyes widened in shock as she realized what was going on. ''Megidramon-''

SLAP!

The data particles dispersed as Takuto stared at Setsuna in shock, his hand placed against his red cheek. Setsuna looked furious, but she did feel relieved that her slapping Takuto managed to get him back to his senses.

''Stop saying nonsense!'' she yelled at him as she got up. ''Don't you see that your negative emotions are affecting Megidramon and making things worse!''

''I'm sorry,'' Takuto muttered, lowering his head, only to look up when Setsuna spoke again.

''If you really want to be a hero, then think about your next move,'' she said. ''Only because Megidramon reacted to your Digisoul doesn't mean that you should do something reckless!''

''I understand,'' Takuto replied, nodding.

Setsuna then turned towards Beelzemon, knowing that he was the only one who could beat Megidramon. However, it was clear that he was severely injured and weakened, and that another attack from Megidramon would be his end.

 _Unless…_ Setsuna looked down at her hand, clenching it into a fist. _Unless I too manage to summon my Digisoul. I could lend Beelzemon the energy he needs to beat Megidramon. But, how?_ Even with her knowledge of Digimon and their lore, she still had no idea what to do. _Am I really this weak?_ She shook her head. _No! I won't allow myself to think like that! I can fight too!_

''I won't let this be our end,'' Setsuna muttered, much to Takuto's surprise.

''What?'' he said flatly, only to notice purple data particles suddenly surround Setsuna.

''I am going to fight too,'' she said, with a determined look on her expression and stepping towards the battlefield.

''Hey, haven't you just told me to not do anything reckless?!'' Takuto called out for her, completely baffled by her reaction. Then, he noticed Megidramon preparing for another attack. ''Watch out!''

Beelzemon looked up, feeling too weak to move. He knew that he wouldn't survive another attack and braced himself.

_''Megiddo Flame!''_

However, just as the flames were about to hit him, Setsuna suddenly stepped in front of him, surrounded by purple data particles.

''This is not the end!'' she screamed, her Digisoul flaring up and forming a barrier between the flames and her and Beelzemon. Stunned, Beelzemon noticed a purple aura made of data particles surrounding him and restoring his energy, as well as healing his injuries. He then smirked as he got up, with the flames that surrounded them earlier vanishing.

 _Who would've thought?_ He looked at Setsuna. ''Not bad for a human.''

''You're not bad either,'' Setsuna replied. The two turned around as they heard the roar of an engine, with Behemoth appearing soon after. Beelzemon got back on his motorcycle, looking at Megidramon, locking-on the cracks on the chest plate.

''Let's go!'' he exclaimed, driving towards Megidramon and pulling out one of his Berenjena shotguns. _''Quick Shot!''_

While the bullets only succeeded in angering Megidramon rather than hurting him, Beelzemon knew that he achieved his goal once the draconic Digimon lunged at him, as he needed to get close up to Megidramon. He then twisted Behemoth, sliding past Megidramon's jaws and causing the latter to bite the ground.

 _''Darkness Claw!''_ Infusing his claws with dark energy, he quickly slashed at the chest plate as Megidramon was still distracted, causing the cracks to spread further and then pointed the shotgun directly at the Digital Hazard. _''Double Impact!''_

Megidramon roared in agony as the bullets pierced through the chest plate, creating an exist wound on his back. He trashed around, with Takuto and Setsuna noticing their surroundings slowly turning back to normal. Sure, it was still a wasteland that got destroyed during the battle, but at least, no new rifts appeared.

Beelzemon meanwhile drove away from Megidramon, dismounting Behemoth and leaning against the motorcycle. Whatever rush of energy he felt earlier had vanished, being replaced with complete exhaustion. He glanced back at Megidramon, who had collapsed, surrounded by a red field of data in the shape of an egg. A moment later, he too was surrounded by the same field of data, only that this one was purple.

Setsuna and Takuto stared at the two Digimon as they de-digivolved to their lesser forms. Instead of Megidramon, lying on the ground was a red dinosaur with black marks on his body, as well as a Digital Hazard mark on his belly. Meanwhile, leaned against Behemoth stood a purple imp, wearing red gloves and a red neckerchief. He also had a yellow smiley face mark on his belly.

''Guilmon!''

''Impmon!''

Both Takuto and Setsuna ran over to their respective Digimon, feeling at the same time worried about their condition and relieved that everything was over now. As he reached Guilmon, Takuto noticed that the latter was conscious and trying to get up.

''Guilmon, are you okay? Let me help you,'' Takuto said, letting Guilmon lean against him. This turned out to be a bad idea as Guilmon was much heavier than him, causing the two to fall over and resign themselves to sitting on the ground. Guilmon gave him a tired look, with Takuto just smiling. ''I thought that you were gone for sure.''

''I did hear your voice, but only for a moment…'' Guilmon muttered as he looked around, being slightly freaked out. ''I didn't mean to cause so much destruction. The Digital Hazard isn't something to be taken lightly… I'm so sorry!''

''It's over now,'' Takuto told him, reaching for Guilmon, who gave him a surprised look due to being unsure about what Takuto was about to do. He then relaxed when he realized that Takuto just wanted to scratch him affectionately under his chin, assuring him that he wasn't upset at him. ''Everything will be okay.''

Guilmon nodded, with the two turning their attention to Setsuna and Impmon, who had also sat down on the ground, unable to stand anymore. Setsuna was sitting next to him, smiling proudly.

''That was really a really amazing display of power and determination,'' she said, with Impmon scoffing and turning his head away.

''Ha, you have seen nothing,'' he replied, sounding rather annoyed. ''If I was at my full power, this battle would've been over much sooner.''

Despite his aloof tone and mannerism, Setsuna caught a hint of smile. It was quite obvious that Impmon had accepted her compliment and felt rather pleased with himself and his achievement. Impmon noticed her grinning at him and frowned.

''Why are you looking at me like that?'' he asked in an irritated tone.

''I'm just admiring you,'' Setsuna replied. ''I just can't get over the fact that you're a complete badass.''

''Wh-What?!'' Impmon blushed, quickly turning away. ''I never asked for your opinion!'' He then briefly glanced back at her, noticing that she was still giving him the same admiring look. ''Stop staring at me like that!''

Setsuna just chuckled in amusement, while Impmon sighed. The two then turned around, only to see Takuto and Guilmon approach them. They stood there for a while, completely silent, as they looked around at the destruction Megidramon had caused.

''This looks awful,'' Takuto muttered. ''At least there weren't any actual casualties.''

''I'm really _really_ sorry for causing all of this and attacking you,'' Guilmon suddenly said, lowering his head. ''I thought I would never have to reach that form again. I never wanted to hurt anyone here.''

''What do you mean?'' Impmon turned to Guilmon. ''Wait, you had digivolved to Megidramon before? Why don't I know anything about this?''

''Um, well, you see…'' Guilmon muttered. ''It was an accident and it had happened a while ago… I didn't want to think about it anymore, as it was just as bad, if not even worse, as this one.''

''Really?'' Impmon muttered, a bit surprised. Guilmon just nodded, looking rather exhausted. While Impmon did want to ask Guilmon more about it, he figured that he should let his rival recover a little. Instead, he turned towards Setsuna and Takuto. ''Also, you two…''

''I almost forgot, I never really introduced myself,'' Takuto said, cutting Impmon off. ''My name is Momotsuka Takuto and I'm 16 years old.''

He then glanced at Setsuna, who sighed. ''My name is Takashi Setsuna, and I'm also 16.''

''Nice to meet you,'' Guilmon muttered, then tilted his head. ''You seem to know our names.''

''Well, I'm a huge Digimon fan, so it wasn't that hard for me to recognize which Digimon I'm dealing with,'' Takuto said proudly, only to notice Setsuna glaring at him with her arms crossed on her chest.

''Don't forget the fact that you're also being rather reckless,'' she told him in a sharp tone. Takuto frowned.

''What is your problem?'' he asked. ''Besides, you're calling me reckless while you ran out there in front of those flames.''

''That isn't the issue here!'' Setsuna snapped back, only to suddenly fall silent. She took a deep breath and then looked around. ''Anyways, where are we? As far as I know, this isn't the Cyberspace, right?''

''No, you're in the DigiWorld,'' Impmon told her. ''More specific, you're at the Dark Area.''

''You have to be kidding us,'' Takuto said as he stared at Impmon in shock. '' _This_ is the DigiWorld?!''

''Actually, this is only a part of the DigiWorld,'' Guilmon chimed in, frowning. ''However, I don't suggest you to stay here. The Dark Area is rather dangerous and we need to leave it as soon as possible.''

''How?'' Takuto asked.

''Well, every area of the DigiWorld has connection points that allow us to travel from one point of the DigiWorld to another,'' Guilmon explained. ''We only need to find the connection point in this one…''

''You can leave that to me,'' Impmon said. ''After all, I know this place better than you do, Duke.''

''Duke?'' Takuto rose an eyebrow, noticing Guilmon glaring at Impmon.

''It's a nickname,'' he said in a dismissive tone. Impmon just smirked.

''Follow me,'' he said, walking away, with Setsuna, Takuto and Guilmon following him. Setsuna briefly glanced back at Behemoth, noticing that it wasn't moving anywhere.

''Hey, Impmon,'' she said. ''What about your motorcycle?''

''It'll be fine,'' Impmon replied. ''As a matter of fact, Behemoth may be even more dangerous on its own that some Digimon around here.''

''I see,'' Setsuna muttered.

The rest of their search went in silence, with all of them feeling too tired to have an actual conversation. After a while, even though it seemed to be an eternity, they came across a seemingly abandoned train station.

''Here we are,'' Impmon said. ''Trailmon of Darkness usually passes this part, so we can hitch a ride.''

''That sounds great,'' Takuto said in relief as he sat down on the bench. ''My legs are killing me.''

''Do you know when this Trailmon is going to appear?'' Guilmon asked Impmon. The latter shrugged.

''I have no idea,'' he replied.

''You can't be serious, Beelz,'' Guilmon groaned.

''If you don't like it, Duke, then you can leave,'' Impmon replied, sitting down on the bench. Guilmon just sighed, shaking his head and sat next to Takuto, while Setsuna remained standing, observing the orb that was the Real World.

 _What a crazy day… If someone told me what would happen, I would've called them insane._ She sighed, only to hear a train coming. ''That's the Trailmon!''

''At least we didn't have to wait too long,'' Impmon said, with Guilmon glaring at him, irritated by Impmon's nonchalance. However, he was too tired to raise his voice in protest and just went along with it.

The Trailmon of Darkness came to a halt, giving them a rather suspicious look. As they approached it, Takuto, Setsuna and Guilmon felt a bit unnerved by the huge red eyes that were observing them, but Impmon didn't look too bothered.

''What is your destination?'' Trailmon asked.

''We are going towards the Surface Layer of the DigiWorld,'' Impmon told him. ''Also, there are four passengers.''

''I see,'' Trailmon muttered as he gazed at Takuto and Setsuna. ''It is interesting to see humans here.'' The two teens kept quiet. ''Well, come aboard or don't. I have places to be.''

''Yeah, yeah, we get it,'' Impmon muttered, letting Takuto, Setsuna and Guilmon get inside, with him being the last one to enter. Once they were inside the wagon, Setsuna and Impmon sat on one side, while Takuto and Guilmon sat on the other. The Trailmon moved and they were on their way to the Surface Layer.

''How long is it going to take to get there?'' Setsuna asked Impmon.

''About two hours, maybe more,'' he replied. ''I don't travel via Trailmon so often as I already have a motorcycle.''

''Well, I guess that we should sit back and enjoy the ride,'' Takuto said, grinning as he glanced through the window at the dark and desolate landscape. ''This is really awesome.''

Setsuna too glanced out of the window, noticing three DeviDramon flying past the train tracks, not paying any attention to Trailmon as he zoomed past them. She had to agree with Takuto. However, there was something else that was bothering her. She looked down at her hands, focusing as she clenched them into fists. Nothing happened.

''I thought I had figured it out,'' she muttered.

''What's wrong?'' Impmon asked her.

''It's about the fact that Momotsuka and I had somehow managed to summon Digisoul,'' Setsuna answered.

''You know, you can just call me Takuto,'' Takuto told her, with Setsuna frowning as she glared at him. _Once again, what is her problem?_

''May I ask you something?'' Guilmon spoke up, with Takuto nodding. ''What exactly is Digisoul?''

''Well, um... Digisoul is...'' Takuto wasn't exactly sure how to explain it. After all, it was something that was shown in the anime _Digimon Savers,_ which was a work of fiction. Digisoul wasn't supposed to be real, but Digimon weren't supposed to be real either, yet here he was, travelling through the DigiWorld. ''It's...''

''Digisoul is effectively human emotion given power, which can affect Digimon even subconsciously,'' Setsuna suddenly said, with Takuto giving her a surprised look. ''The reason why we know about it is because it was featured in an anime called _Digimon Savers_ as the main method used for Digivolution. Of course, if powered up by negative emotions, it can have devastating results.''

''I should've remembered that. After all, I have watched the episode with Masaru and ShineGreymon Ruin Mode. Not to mention, there was also the episode in _Digimon Adventure_ with Taichi and SkullGreymon, as well as the episode in _Digimon Tamers_ with Takato and...'' Takuto trailed off, feeling guilt. Setsuna sighed.

''You are aware that you are not responsible for Megidramon, right?'' she told him. ''It was that guy we had encountered earlier who caused all of this mess. Not to mention, you aren't even a Tamer.''

''That doesn't matter much, considering what had happened,'' Takuto said as he glanced at Guilmon, who gave him a confused look.

''Is something wrong?'' Guilmon asked him.

''To be honest...'' Takuto wasn't really sure how to formulate his question as he felt quite awkward about it. In the end he just decided to go for it, giving Guilmon a confident look. ''I was wondering whether we could become partners!''

''What?'' Guilmon looked surprised, and even Setsuna and Impmon gave him stunned looks.

''I know that this is rather sudden, but I'd really want to be your partner Guilmon,'' Takuto continued. ''I couldn't even imagine a better partner than you and I'm sure that we are going to be a great team. Besides, we have also seen that you got affected by my Digisoul. So, what do you say?''

Guilmon still stared at him, looking rather uncertain. ''Honestly, I have never thought about having a human partner. While I knew that this was possible, I never saw it as necessary in my case, as I was focused on protecting the DigiWorld rather than going on an adventure.''

''Those two things aren't mutually exclusive,'' Takuto told him. ''Besides, I want to help you with your task of protecting the DigiWorld as a Royal Knight.''

Guilmon lowered his head as he thought about it, then nodded confidently. ''Okay! I want to be your partner!''

Suddenly, both got covered in red data particles, with the data particles dispersing as a glowing red orb appeared between the two. Takuto reached for the orb, staring at it in awe. As the light faded, he realized that he was holding a Digivice in his hand.

''Unbelievable,'' he muttered as he looked at it.

It looked rather similar to the Ultimate D-Ark, having a black body, a red ring around the screen with an inscription in DigiLetters on it, dark red markings around the ring, a red strap with a black clip and two small red buttons on the bottom. However, it wasn't as bulky as the D-Ark, being much slimmer, similar to the Digivice in _Digimon Adventure:_ , and it lacked the slits necessary for the card scan. As Takuto turned it around, he spotted a small black screen on the corner of the back. The screen suddenly started to glow, with Takuto looking at it.

''It says _D-App_ ,'' he said. He then smiled as he realized what this meant. ''I'm a Tamer now! This is so awesome!''

Takuto felt incredibly excited, but it didn't last long once he saw everyone else staring at him. Guilmon then smiled.

''I guess that means that we are partners now,'' he said. ''I'm looking forward to working with you, Takuto.''

''Me too,'' Takuto nodded, then glanced at Setsuna and Impmon. ''What about you two?''

''I work alone!''

''I never asked for a partner!''

Impmon and Setsuna protested in unison, with Takuto and Guilmon giving them annoyed looks. To them, it was obvious that the two had some kind of connection, especially considering how Setsuna's Digisoul had affected Beelzemon.

''Really?'' Takuto grinned, adding in a teasing tone, ''You seemed to have worked well together back on the battlefield.''

''I thought that your goal was to become the most powerful Digimon in the DigiWorld, Beelz,'' Guilmon added, with Impmon glaring at him. ''You know about the rumor of Digimon becoming stronger through human aid and you saw it happen. If you want to surpass me, you will have to figure out something if you don't want a partner.''

Impmon hated to admit it, but Guilmon was right. He had felt the sudden surge of energy when Setsuna had activated her Digisoul and he was hungry for more. It was unlike anything else he had felt and he desired to experience that power once again. He glanced at Setsuna, who gave him a wary look. Nevertheless, he noticed the hope in her eyes, realizing that, even though she denied it, she honestly wanted to become his partner.

''As long as you promise me to help me become stronger, I might consider it,'' Impmon told her. Setsuna smirked.

''Trust me, I will help you become stronger,'' she said in a determined tone. ''Besides, I am also interested in participating in battles against other Digimon and Tamers, meaning that I would need a partner I can rely on.''

''Considering how I'm interested in fighting strong opponents as well, that is right up my alley,'' Impmon said, only to get surprised when he and Setsuna got covered in purple data particles. The data particles then dispersed as a purple glowing orb appeared between the two. Setsuna reached for it, revealing a black and purple D-App. She then glanced at the inscription on the ring.

''It says _Digimon Tamer_ ,'' she said as she examined the D-App.

''Wait, you know how to read DigiLetters?'' Takuto asked her.

''Of course,'' Setsuna replied, tilting her head, then adding in a teasing tone, ''Wait, you don't know how to read them and you call yourself a Digimon fan? That's funny.''

Takuto just glared at her. ''Not all of us can be smartasses.''

Setsuna just glared back, feeling rather annoyed, while Impmon and Guilmon stared at them, interested where this conversation was going. Something told them that they weren't the only rivals here and that they would be in for the adventure of their lifetime.


	4. Across The Digital Frontier

**Entry 3**

**Across The Digital Frontier**

_''Drive to the horizon, keep going, never stop, because you can overcome all frontiers. The fire burns in you and you can already see your goal, because you feel limitless, you can find the answer. The day will come at which you see how the whole earth shatters underneath you. You have courage and you feel that your path leads you only in one direction – into the light!''_

_– **Wenn das Feuer in dir brennt** by Digimon Frontier_

**xXxXxXx**

Setsuna glanced outside, noticing now that they were passing through a lush green forest area, having exited the Dark Area half an hour ago. It was still bright outside, but Impmon and Guilmon had told her that there was no sunrise nor sunset in this DigiWorld. When it became night, the DigiWorld would suddenly become dark, as if someone flipped a switch, and the only light that came was the one from the orb that represented the Real World.

 _There seems to be a lot to explore here_ , Setsuna thought, turning back to the conversation Takuto and Guilmon had.

''So, to recap, most humans think that we are characters in some kind of video game?'' Guilmon asked Takuto, who nodded.

''Well, it isn't only a video game, but there are also multiple anime seasons, movies, a trading card game, the V-Pet and other Digimon-themed merchandise,'' he explained. ''However, I don't think most humans are aware that there is an alternate world in which Digimon exist as living beings.''

''It is kind of ironic, considering Digimon are aware of the existence of humans,'' Setsuna interrupted.

''Actually, our knowledge of humans is only limited to rumors we overheard from Digimon that have encountered them or became partners with one. We are familiar with some things, and I believe that you actually know a lot more about us than we do about you,'' Guilmon told her.

''Maybe that's true, but we can still learn a lot from each other,'' Takuto said excitedly, with Guilmon nodding. Setsuna tilted her head as she stared at the two, who seemed to be getting along rather well despite only knowing each other for a short time.

 _If this is the kind of bond they already have, what would happen once they get used to being a team?_ Setsuna glanced over at Impmon, who seemed to have a bored look on his expression. He seemed to have already recovered from his injuries and appeared to be ready for the next battle. She smiled, glancing down at her D-App. _I'm sure that_ _this new experience will be interesting for both of us._

''If you ask me, there are several things I'd like to know,'' Setsuna said, drawing everyone's attention. ''However, for now, we have to figure out how to return to the Real World. That's why we are going to the Surface Layer, right?''

''While the Surface Layer has a lot of connection points, that doesn't mean that we are going to be able to find a way into the Real World,'' Impmon told her, with Setsuna giving him a questioning look. He gave her a mischievous smile. ''I have never been in the Real World, but I'd like to visit it.''

''Me too, even though this may be difficult,'' Guilmon added. ''There are several rumors about how a Digimon would be able to access the Real World, with the best known one being that a Digimon needs to load the data of Digimon that had already been in the Real World in order to go there. Of course, that's just a rumor and I haven't met anyone who had proven that it is actually true.''

''I don't think that that would be necessary,'' Takuto told him. ''Now that we are partners, it is obvious that you'd be coming with me in the Real World, Guilmon.''

''Do you even have any idea how to get back?'' Setsuna asked him. Takuto gave her a sheepish look.

''Um, I guess we'll return to the Real World the same way we used to come into the DigiWorld,'' he said. Setsuna sighed, shaking her head.

''You are missing a step,'' she told him, with Takuto giving her a confused look. ''It seems as if we both have entered the DigiWorld through the Cyberspace, meaning we need to figure out a way into the Cyberspace so we can find out how to return to the Real World.''

''Well, that's what I meant,'' Takuto muttered, with Setsuna crossing her arms.

''Do you even know how you managed to enter the Cyberspace?'' she asked.

''Yeah, I got this question on my game app…'' Takuto took out his smartphone, searching for it, with his eyes widening in surprise. ''It's gone! The app is gone!''

''What?'' Setsuna took her own smartphone out, only to notice that the _Digimon Story: Lost World_ game was gone from her smartphone app list.

''Takuto, what's wrong?'' Guilmon asked.

''I had a Digimon game on my smartphone and at some point, it froze,'' Takuto explained. ''Then, I got a strange question…''

 _''Are you willing to risk your soul for an adventure?''_ Setsuna said, with Takuto nodding. ''Yeah, I got the same question. It is possible that that was how we got here. However, it doesn't explain why the game got deleted from our smartphones or what kind of connection it has with our arrival here.''

''Whatever it is, I think that it's kind of exciting,'' Takuto replied, grinning. ''I'm sure that we can solve this mystery- uh?'' He was a bit surprised that Setsuna didn't share the same excitement. Instead, her arms were crossed and she was giving him an irritated look. ''What's wrong?''

''Don't rush ahead,'' she told him. ''We need to figure out how this connection works and I don't think you can do that if you treat this mystery like some kind of game, Momotsuka.''

''I never said that,'' Takuto grumbled, but Setsuna's comments didn't bother him that much. ''I'm sure that everything will be fine, so you should relax a little. Besides, haven't I told you that you can call me Takuto? I mean, it's not as if I'm calling you Takashi.''

''You may have introduced yourself to me, but you're still a complete stranger,'' Setsuna muttered. Takuto pointed at himself with his thumb.

''You know, Setsuna, if you want to know more about me, you can just ask,'' he said. ''I won't mind answering any questions you have about me.''

Setsuna just stared at him for a bit, only to turn to Impmon and ignoring Takuto, who was annoyed about her attitude.

''Anyways, Impmon, I was curious about your and Guilmon's relationship,'' she said, with Impmon giving her a curious look. ''You are a Demon Lord and a Royal Knight respectively, but you seem to get along surprisingly well. It feels a bit… weird.''

''You aren't the only one who has questioned that,'' Impmon told her, exchanging glances with Guilmon. ''We've also talked about our rivalry time and time again and we still have no idea how we ended up like this, even though we do know how we became rivals.''

''It's a bit of a long story,'' Guilmon added.

''I think that we have enough time for that,'' Takuto replied, noticing Setsuna's questioning look. He narrowed his eyes. ''I know that we should probably try to figure out how to get back to the Real World, but I don't think that we'll come up with anything until we reach the Surface Layer and enter the Cyberspace. Besides, weren't you the one who asked them about their rivalry?''

''You don't have to tell me anything, Momotsuka,'' Setsuna replied, with Takuto giving her an annoyed look.

''It's Ta-ku-to,'' he replied. Neither of them noticed the amused look Impmon had.

''Watching you two argue is quite entertaining, but it's too bad that I don't have a can of popcorn with me,'' he said, grinning. ''Of course, if you want to listen to our epic story…''

''Epic story?'' Guilmon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Impmon. ''All I remember is that we just ran into each other and decided to have a battle.''

''Now you've ruined it,'' Impmon muttered, crossing his arms. ''I wanted to keep them in suspense.''

''Yeah, in suspense of disbelief over how many of our battles couldn't count as a win or a loss,'' Guilmon replied. ''Although, Crusadermon told me that, unless you completely eliminate a Demon Lord, they'd always come back, each time stronger than before.''

''As much as I hate Pinky, he's right,'' Impmon said, with Setsuna giggling as she heard Impmon's nickname for Crusadermon. ''We always come back stronger and every foe we defeat becomes our flesh and blood.''

''You mean, you just load the opponent's data, right?'' Takuto asked.

''Not exactly,'' Impmon replied in a sinister tone, grinning, with Takuto giving him a nervous look. ''Being a Demon Lord has its perks.''

''Speaking of which, I assume that there are also other groups in the DigiWorld aside from the Seven Great Demon Lords and Royal Knights, like the Olympus XII, Celestial Angels, Four Holy Beasts and the Ten Legendary Warriors,'' Setsuna interrupted.

''That's correct, but members of other Digimon groups usually stay out of our way unless they feel that their presence is necessary, and even then, you never know whether you can trust them or not,'' Guilmon explained. ''I remember Magnamon telling me how he once had to pass through Zhuquiamon's territory and was stopped by Indramon, one of the Deva, who simply didn't want to let him go. While they did get into an argument, Indramon seemed to know better than to fight against a Royal Knight.''

''Not to mention, Duke, remember when you broke my shotguns during one of our battles?'' Impmon asked, with Guilmon turning to him. ''I actually had to go to Vulcanusmon, one of the Olympus XII, to get them repaired, since he was the one made them.''

''I remember that you were in a quite bad mood after you came back,'' Guilmon said.

''Well, you too would be in a bad mood after you get yelled at for breaking 'an excellent article of weaponry' and then told that you'd be put through a test of strength if you want your weapons to get repaired, only to find out that the whole thing was a fetch quest to get Vulcanusmon's lunch,'' Impmont said dryly. Guilmon, Takuto and Setsuna burst out laughing, with Impmon giving them all an annoyed look.

''If you're done laughing, may I have your attention?'' Takuto, Guilmon, Setsuna and Impmon looked up, realized that Trailmon was talking to them. ''We are going to arrive at our destination soon, so be prepared to exit, unless you want to stay for another ride.''

The four looked at the windows, noticing that it was quite dark outside, only to realize that they were driving through a tunnel. Minutes later, they exited it, finding themselves at the Surface Layer, a rather barren wasteland that had packets of data floating around. Eventually, Trailmon stopped at a small station, with the two teenagers and Digimon exiting.

''So, now what?'' Takuto asked as Trailmon left.  
''I thought that you would've figured it out once we get to the Surface Layer,'' Setsuna replied in a mocking tone. Takuto just glared at her, then looked around.

''So, if that orb is the Real World, that would mean that we'd have to get there somehow,'' he said.

''How are we supposed to do that? It's not like we have the Ark,'' Setsuna replied.

''Then, what do you suggest?'' Takuto asked in an irritated tone.

''I believe that the easiest way back into the Real World would be via the Cyberspace,'' Setsuna told him. ''It seems to be some kind of pocket dimension between the Real World and the DigiWorld.''

''I think that there might actually be a way into the Cyberspace,'' Guilmon said, drawing everyone's attention. ''The Royal Knights usually patrol through various sections of the DigiWorld and I know that Craniummon was once sent to keep an eye on the Surface Layer. He had told us about an unusual stream of data that seemed to be connected to a section of the Real World and, while he wanted to keep on investigating, Alphamon told him not to. It is possible that, if we find that stream, we might enter the Cyberspace.''

''It is worth a try,'' Takuto said. ''Let's go!''

**xXx**

''–calu?'' A small, cute white creature with large ears and the mark of the Zero Unit on his forehead observed the battle that unfolded before him. Two humans were cheering on their respective partners, a Maildramon and a DarkTyranomon, who were locked into a brutal fight, with DarkTyranomon biting Maildramon's long neck. ''I don't like this –calu. Why do they have to fight?''

Calumon was suddenly freaked out when DarkTyranomon stomped on Maildramon, causing the latter to cry out in pain. He quickly flew away, not wanting to get caught up in the battle.

''What should I do now?'' he muttered to himself as he flew through the Cyberspace. ''I found myself in this place and I don't know how to find a way out –calu.''

Calumon remembered how he had accidentally got caught up in a data stream and then suddenly appeared in the Cyberspace, having no idea what to do or where to go. He wanted to ask the few Digimon and humans he saw for help, but all of them seemed to be either in a hurry or busy fighting. If there was anything Calumon had learned from the DigiWorld, it was that you shouldn't interrupt another Digimon's fight, unless you want to become the target.

''Huh?'' Calumon stopped flying as he noticed two humans and two Digimon walking out of a digital field, with the humans seemingly arguing. He flew closer, wondering what they were talking about and having a strange feeling that he saw the two Digimon before. He smiled widely as he realized who they were.

**xXx**

''It seems as if Crainumon was right,'' Takuto said in relief as they had entered the Cyberspace.

''If you ask me, we just got lucky,'' Setsuna told him in dry tone. ''Besides, we're still not in the Real World.''

''But, we did get a step closer to finding a way back,'' Takuto replied. Setsuna sighed, shaking her head. Takuto narrowed his eyes. ''You know, you should relax a little. This is an adventure and the best part of the adventure is the journey itself. It's not like we'll be stuck here forever.''

''If you say so,'' Setsuna muttered, glancing at Impmon who nodded.

''Beelzemon!'' Impmon suddenly turned around, only to see something small and white flying right at him and knocking him on the ground.

''Hey, what are you- Calumon!'' Impmon was surprised to see the small Digimon, who was currently hugging him. ''Knock it off!''

Calumon jumped back, still smiling. ''I'm so glad to see you again, Beelzemon! Do you want to play –calu?''

''I'm not exactly in the mood to play,'' Impmon replied as he got up. ''Also, it's Impmon when I'm in this form; got it, Creampuff?''

''–calu!'' Calumon nodded cheerfully. He then glanced at the surprised Guilmon. ''Hi, Gallantmon!''

''It's great to see you again, Calumon,'' Guilmon told him. ''What are you doing here?''

''I got lost –calu,'' Calumon replied, glancing at Takuto and Setsuna, who were staring at him curiously. ''Are you Beelzemon and Gallantmon's friends?''

''Yeah, we are,'' Takuto replied, pointing at himself and Setsuna. ''My name is Takuto and this is Setsuna. Say, Calumon, how come that you know Guilmon and Impmon?''

''They helped me when I got into trouble –calu,'' Calumon replied.

''I had met Calumon a while ago back at the Royal Castle,'' Guilmon explained. ''I have no idea how he got inside, but admittedly, it was fun watching Crusadermon and Duftmon chasing him around.''

''We were playing tag –calu!'' Calumon said cheerfully, while Impmon laughed.

''Yeah, I'm sure that you were,'' he said. Calumon's ears shrunk as he remembered the chase.

''Well, they didn't look too happy,'' Calumon said. ''I think it was because I was winning –calu.''

''In any case, I stopped the two before they could do any harm and showed Calumon the way out,'' Guilmon added. ''However, I still have no idea how he ended up at our base.''

''As for me, I met Calumon at the Dark Area as he was being chased by a Kimeramon,'' Impmon explained, with Calumon jumping on his head. He smirked. ''I was more interested in the fighting Kimeramon and only realized that Creampuff here was still around after I had already absorbed the former's data. Honestly, it was kind of hard to ignore him, considering how he was clinging to me while thanking me for saving his life and asking me to be his friend.''

''But we are friends now! –calu,'' Calumon exclaimed cheerfully. Impmon noticed the curious looks Takuto, Setsuna and Guilmon were giving him and just shrugged. ''Besides, everyone there was so mean and you were the only one who helped me –calu.''

''Yeah, and I'm still debating whether I should regret it or not,'' Impmon replied in a sarcastic tone.

''I'm surprised that you didn't try to get rid off him,'' Guilmon said, giving Impmon a suspicious look.

''You know, I may be merciless in battle, but even I have my standards,'' Impmon, with him and Calumon exchanging looks. ''Besides, Calumon's tougher than he looks. When I attempted to leave, he just hitched a ride on Behemoth without me noticing. We were already miles away when I realized that he was still there.''

''It was a lot of fun driving around on that motorcycle! Could we do that again?'' Calumon asked. Impmon snorted.

''Maybe next time,'' he replied.

''You know, Calumon, if you want, you can come with us?'' Setsuna suggested. ''We're trying to go back to the Real World.''

''Sure! That's sounds exciting! – calu,'' Calumon said, his ears expanding. Setsuna smiled, not noticing Takuto giving her a weird look.

''Well, that's settled,'' she said, glancing at Takuto and realizing that he was staring at her. Her eyes narrowed and she quickly added in a haughty tone, ''So, what's the next step, Momotsuka?''

''Honestly, I have no idea whom you're trying to fool, Setsuna,'' Takuto replied, crossing his arms. ''You can act aloof as much as you want and even call me an idiot, but I'm sure that this is not the kind of person you usually are.''

''Why would that matter to you? I don't have to tell you anything,'' Setsuna replied, sounding quite irritated. She glared at Takuto, only to look down and walk away. Takuto was a bit stunned.

''Wait a second, I didn't mean to hurt you or anything,'' he said as he followed her, but Setsuna ignored him. Guilmon glanced at Impmon.

''It seems like your Tamer is quite reserved,'' he told the latter. ''It's going to be tough maintaining this kind of partnership.''

''I know, and I don't think that's a bad thing,'' Impmon replied. ''This is just another challenge I need to overcome, even if it doesn't necessarily require fighting someone.''

''I should've known,'' Guilmon muttered, shaking his head. He, Impmon and Calumon then followed Takuto and Setsuna. It seemed that the two were done arguing, since Setsuna seemed to be focused on something, looking around.

''You're searching for those ports on which we had arrived, right?'' Takuto asked her, with Setsuna nodding. She stared at her surroundings, her eyes widening as she saw a port at the corner of the platform.

''There!'' she exclaimed, pointing at it. The group ran over to it, seeing a holographic screen appearing next to it.

''Looks like this is it,'' Takuto said as he read what stood on the holographic screen. There were multiple area options, all of which the group was unfamiliar with. However, at the end of the screen, it stood _Log Out_. ''We can finally leave.''

''Wait,'' Setsuna interrupted him, taking out her D-App. She then held it up, with the holographic screen flashing and her D-App activating. On the holographic screen appeared a bunch of numbers and letters, while the D-App showed the message _Save Connect Port?._

''How did you know?'' Takuto asked her.

''I had figured that the Cyberspace might be similar to the internet, and it seems as if I was right,'' Setsuna replied, showing him the D-App's screen. Takuto realized that the numbers and letters were actually an URL. ''I believe that, if we use the D-App next time, we will appear right at this connect port.''

''Now, that's awesome!'' Takuto said in amazement, taking out his D-App and saving the connect port's URL.

''Are we ready to leave, Takuto?'' Guilmon asked.

''Yeah, we are,'' Takuto said as everyone stepped on the connect port. He then pressed the Log Out button on the holographic screen.

In an instant, they were surrounded by a digital field, their vision being blurred. Takuto and Setsuna quickly put on their goggles, which did help them. They also noticed that the fog that surrounded them didn't seem to affect the Digimon. They had a strange feeling, as if they were floating, only to find themselves in the next moment standing on solid ground. The digital field was still surrounding them, but as time passed, it faded away, with the two hearing familiar sounds of passing cars.

''We're back!'' Takuto said as he placed his goggles back on the top of his head. Setsuna pulled her goggles down, wearing them around her neck, realizing that they were at a park in her neighborhood. Guilmon, Calumon and Impmon meanwhile looked around, a mix of curiosity and awe on their expressions.

''So, this is the Real World?'' Guilmon said, observing the tall buildings surrounding them. The sky had turned into a fiery orange colour as the sun slowly set.

''Yeah,'' Takuto replied. ''We're currently in a huge city called Tokyo, in a country known as Japan. There is a lot more to see, though.''

''It seems like we're the only Digimon here,'' Impmon said, as he looked around. Usually, Digimon were able to sense each other's presence at smaller distances, but the only Digimon here seemed to be him, Guilmon and Calumon. Guilmon sniffed the air, nodding and confirming Impmon's assumption.

''Only because there aren't any Digimon here besides you three doesn't meant that we shouldn't be careful,'' Setsuna told him. ''We have already told you that humans aren't really aware that Digimon actually exist, so it would be better for you to stay out of sight from other humans until further notice, unless you want to get everyone into trouble with the local authorities. I'm sure that a lot of people would freak out when they suddenly see monsters walking around.''

''I agree with Setsuna,'' Takuto said. ''Sure, we don't know how people would react to seeing you guys, since we're still new to this, but I've watched enough episodes of the Digimon anime to know that having Digimon in the Real World can result in chaos and destruction, especially if those Digimon are partnered up with corrupt people.''

''You don't have to worry about me, Takuto,'' Guilmon said, giving Impmon a side-eye. ''However, as for the Demon Lord…''

''If you want to have another battle, I'm all for it,'' Impmon replied cheekily. ''Nevertheless, I'm sure that that will get us noticed and if you want to break your promise...''

''I don't think that either of you is capable of fighting, after the battle against Megidramon, unless you do that at your Rookie Level,'' Takuto interrupted them, drawing Guilmon and Impmon's attention. ''How about this? Since it's getting late, we could meet up tomorrow and discuss what we're going to do next.''

''Wait a minute, what makes you think that I'd want to hang out with you?'' Setsuna asked, crossing her arms.

''Well, for starters, our partners are rivals, so it's obvious that we would meet up again,'' Takuto told her. ''Besides, we're also the only Tamers around, so it doesn't really matter, unless you want to avoid me deliberately.''

''That's not what I-'' Setsuna got cut off by Takuto.

''Great! I'll see you tomorrow then,'' he said, smiling. ''Also, before I forget, what's your address? Or could you at least give me your phone number so I can contact you?''

''Honestly, I'm not comfortable giving my phone number out to anyone, but if you really want to know, I live over there,'' Setsuna said, pointing at a building across the park. She was confused when she saw the look of surprise on Takuto's expression.

''No way! I live down the street, not far away from here,'' Takuto said, pointing at the direction of his house. ''How come I have never met you? I assume that you go to the school in this area, right?''

''I actually moved in today,'' Setsuna replied, only for Takuto to cut her off again.

''That's cool! I could show you around the neighborhood, if you want,'' he told her excitedly, only to notice that Setsuna looked a bit uncomfortable. ''What's wrong?''

''It's nothing,'' Setsuna replied. She glanced at the Digimon, who also gave her worried looks. She lowered her head, staring at the ground.

''You know, if there's anything that's bothering you…''

''Why are you so keen on befriending me? I mean, I've been nothing but rude to you,'' Setsuna snapped. ''Hell, I don't even know you, Momotsuka!''

Takuto stared at her in surprise, only to give her a sympathetic look.

''I guess that you had some kind of bad experience with people,'' Takuto said, with Setsuna looking startled. ''You know, you don't have to tell me about it and I won't ask you anything. However, I want you to know that you can trust me. You may have been a rude towards me, but you don't seem to be a bad person, Setsuna. Besides, I don't want to treat you like a stranger and I'd appreciate if you don't do it either.''

Setsuna clenched her fists, looking torn between accepting Takuto's suggestion and refusing.

''I…'' She took a deep breath and nodded. ''Okay, Takuto.''

''Awesome!'' Takuto held up his fist, with Setsuna staring at it for moment. She then smiled and fist-bumped with him. A moment later, they heard something growling. Both looked down, only to realized that it came from Impmon, who was holding his stomach.

''I guess that you're hungry,'' Setsuna said, with Impmon giving her a sheepish look. ''Don't worry, I have food at home.''

''Then, what are we waiting for?'' Impmon said suddenly, his eyes sparking up as he looked at Setsuna with great interest.

''Of course, food is what actually catches your attention,'' Guilmon said dryly. He then blushed as he heard his own stomach growling.

''It seems like I'm not the only one who is hungry,'' Impmon replied in a mocking tone, with Guilmon giving his rival a sheepish look.

**xXx**

''You're still playing that game.''

''Yeah, and?''

''You know, you could try and do some kind of chore, Keiji,'' Aoki Mirai told her younger brother. She was a 15-year-old girl with with long black hair tied in a ponytail, which had pink highlights at the tips, and dark grey eyes. She was wearing a magenta T-shirt with ruffled sleeves and a black and pink skirt.

''Well, my room is clean,'' Keiji replied as he looked away from his computer, glancing at his older sister. He and Mirai were twins and even though their appearances had some similarities, Keiji felt that they were nothing alike. Just like his sister, he had black hair, albeit his was ruffled with dark blue streaks, and dark grey eyes. He was wearing a green T-shirt that had yellow stripes on the edges of his sleeves and a yellow zig-zag stripe on his chest, as well as an orange unzipped vest and brown knee-length shorts. On his right arm was an orange wristband and on the top of his head was a pair of dark green-framed sunglasses. ''Don't you have something else to do, Mirai? I'm trying to win this fight.''

''I'm just trying to get you to take more responsibilities,'' Mirai told him. ''You're always playing video games or are never home.''

''I'm just living my life,'' Keiji replied.

He glanced at the white and green canine plushie that was sitting on the bed next to him. It had long ears and a horn, reminding him a bit of a rabbit, even though it was supposed to be a dog. Mirai just sighed and left, closing the door to Keiji's room. Suddenly, the plushie came to life, falling on his back.

''That was close,'' he said. ''Mirai almost got me.''

''I don't think that she really suspects anything, Terriermon,'' Keiji told his partner, glancing at the white and green D-App on his table.

''Momantai,'' Terriermon replied, holding up one of his ears in a thumbs-up gesture.

**xXx**

''We lost them.''

A 16-year-old girl with long light brown hair and blue eyes was staring at her white and blue D-App. She was wearing a cream pink T-shirt with dark blue sleeves and a sakura petals print, as well as washed-out jeans and blue and white sneakers. She also had a pair of purple wristbands on her arms. Her name was Tsukiya Reiko and she was currently on a hunt for the Digimon that had supposedly appeared in the nearby area, which turned out to be a park. According to her D-App, three Digimon had just realized in the Real World.

''Should I go and search for them, Rei?'' A tall, yellow and white fox-like Digimon, who was wearing purple sleeves on her forearms, suddenly emerged behind Reiko. Reiko looked back at her D-App.

''No, I don't think that it's necessary, Renamon,'' she replied. ''The signal was quite weak anyways, so it seems that the Digimon who had emerged were a bunch of Rookies or In-Trainings. Those are not the kind of opponents we are searching for.''

''I understand.'' Renamon nodded, only for her fur to suddenly stand up. Reiko's D-App flashed red, showing her a holographic screen with an arrow pointing at a seemingly random direction. The teen frowned.

''Another Digimon had realized.''


	5. Starting Point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT - Now, in order to let you guys know what I'm working on, I decided to use my profile as a notice board. If you want to know what the next chapter is, you go to my Profile and on the top, the message will say Next Update: Name of Story, Chapter X: Name of Chapter. That way, you'll know which story you should check for. Also, I'll be back to my Thursday/Friday schedule of updating (or just Friday). I think that's a good solution for this issue. If you want me, I'll even add the estimated date I'm going to post a new chapter.

**Entry 4**

**Starting Point**

_''Do you see the gate, it leads into a different world. There's a new game over there, who knows what to expect. Nothing is as before, my heart beats too fast today. I will soon see the new land that has been fascinating me for a long time. We can go immediately, nothing can stand in our way. We've been waiting for so long and finally it's coming true!''_

_– **Starting Point** by Digimon Tamers (German Version)_

**xXxXxXx**

_I can't believe that I'm doing this,_ Takuto thought as he guided Guilmon towards his house. The Digimon didn't seem to mind the fact that he was hidden inside a huge box, as Takuto told him that he didn't want to freak out his mother by suddenly showing up at his house with a dinosaur. They both agreed that they would figure out later what to do about it. _I guess that Takato and Masaru felt the same. Nevertheless, the masquerade didn't last, did it?_

''Is this really going to work?'' Guilmon asked him as he and Takuto stepped in front of the door.

''I certainly hope that it will,'' Takuto replied, taking a deep breath and opening the door, looking down the hallway at the stairs. He pushed Guilmon inside, who stumbled, managing to see only through a narrow slit made on the box. Takuto quickly closed the door and directed him towards the stairs.

''Takuto, is that you?''

''Yeah, yeah, I'm home!'' Takuto replied, relieved that his mother was in the kitchen, meaning that she wouldn't be able to see them. He then added in a hushed tone, ''Com'n, Guilmon, my room is upstairs.'' Guilmon slowly moved over to the stairs, with Takuto pushing him, only to start panicking when he heard steps, realizing that his mother was leaving the kitchen. ''Com'n!''

To their luck, Guilmon had managed to get upstairs, with Takuto standing on the stairs, turning around just as Kimiko entered the hallway.

''What are you doing?'' she asked Takuto.

''Um, nothing…'' Takuto replied, then added quickly. ''Anyways, what's for dinner? I'm starving.''

''Oh, dinner, yeah…'' Kimiko was flustered. ''Well, about the food, we're going to order take-out, since the dish I prepared didn't turn out the way I wanted.''

''No problem,'' Takuto replied. ''Could you just order double as usual for me?''

''Sure,'' Kimiko said, a bit surprised. ''You weren't kidding when you said that you're starving.''

''Yeah,'' Takuto replied, smiling nervously. ''Anyways, I'll be in my room.'' He quickly went upstairs, finding the door to his room open. He went inside, closing the door and noticing the box lying on the floor and Guilmon looking around his room curiously. ''Mum is going to order food, so you will have to wait a bit until dinner.''

''I don't mind waiting,'' Guilmon replied, turning his attention back to the Digimon Tamers poster on the wall. ''It's still a little surprising to see that Digimon are so well-known here.''

''Well, I did tell you that not everyone is familiar with Digimon. They may have heard about it, but unless they had grown up with the franchise, they wouldn't know much about them,'' Takuto told him. ''If you want, we could watch together sometime all of the anime seasons and the movies. I know there are a lot of episodes, but the experience is worth it.''

''I would be interested to see how Digimon are depicted here,'' Guilmon said.

''Great, but I have to warn you that almost every season has their own way of depicting Digimon,'' Takuto said, pointing at the Digimon Universe Appli Monsters poster. ''For example, Digimon Universe Appli Monsters actually features digital creatures known as Appmon, although an Agumon also appears in a later episode.'' Takuto grinned. ''Nevertheless, nothing can beat the fact that Digimon actually exist and I'm really excited into what kind of adventures we are going to get themselves into.''

''Me too,'' Guilmon replied. ''Although, I'm not really sure that we are always going to be together.''

''What do you mean?'' Takuto asked.

''First and foremost, I'm a Royal Knight, and I'm obligated to fulfill my duty by defending the DigiWorld. I don't really think that I should bring you along to any of my missions,'' Guilmon told him. ''Not to mention, I forgot that I would also have to explain myself to Alphamon and the other Royal Knights. They certainly won't expect me to have a Tamer.''

''I understand what you mean, and that you have your doubts, but you can trust me,'' Takuto replied. ''You have my support and if we are going to face any obstacles, we are going to face them together.''

''You sound really confident about that,'' Guilmon noted.

''Well, that's the point of being a Tamer,'' Takuto replied. ''I know that I cannot call myself experienced when it comes to Digimon or being a Tamer, but that doesn't mean that I don't know what I'm doing.''

''Setsuna doesn't seem to agree,'' Guilmon pointed out, only to frown. ''Not to mention, I'm sure that Impmon is going to figure out how to get stronger and surpass me. He is the kind of Digimon who won't give up, even if he's on the brink of being deleted.''

''Then, we're going to prove both of them wrong,'' Takuto said confidently.

Guilmon's eyes sparked up, with him looking at Takuto curiously. There was something about Takuto's confidence, determination and optimistic outlook on their partnership that appealed to him, making him look forward to how things would turn out.

**xXx**

Impmon frowned as he opened the glass door, stepping out on the balcony and staring at the streets below him. Suddenly, he felt Calumon jump on the top of his head, with the little Digimon giving him a curious look.

''Is something wrong? –calu,'' he asked.

''I just thought that I had sensed another Digimon's presence, but I might be wrong about that,'' Impmon replied. ''However, it is possible that there might be other Digimon in the Real World.''

''You mean, more friends to play with? –calu,'' Calumon asked, his ears expanding.

''Or, more opponents to fight against,'' Impmon replied. ''Having a battle against a Digimon with a Tamer would sure be an interesting experience.''

''Do you really have to always fight? –calu,'' Calumon asked worriedly. ''You and Gallantmon are friends, aren't you?''

''Actually, we're rivals, Creampuff,'' Impmon replied. ''Also, only because we get along doesn't mean that we won't battle against each other.''

''-calu?'' Calumon tilted his head, still having a bit of a hard time understanding how two Digimon who fight against each other could get along. However, he knew that battles were a natural part of a Digimon's life and that Gallantmon and Beelzemon were dedicated a lot of their time to their rivalry. However, that wasn't really the issue here. Calumon's ears shrunk as he added, ''I just don't want to lose a friend.''

''Calumon…'' Impmon muttered, understanding well what was going through the little Digimon's head. They suddenly heard steps, turning around and seeing Setsuna approaching them while holding a tray with three bowls of instant ramen.

''It's not much, since I didn't get to do any grocery shopping, but I hope that you'll enjoy dinner,'' she told the two, placing the bowls down, with Impmon and Calumon eyeing the food with a hungry look. ''Dig in!''

''Thanks for the meal!'' the two Digimon replied as they grabbed their respective bowls and started to eat. Setsuna reached for her own bowl, sitting down next to them and enjoying the view from the balcony.

''So, is the food better than whatever you have in the DigiWorld?'' Setsuna asked.

''To be honest, the food in the DigiWorld is made of data and you don't even have to eat as long as you load data,'' Impmon replied. ''Nevertheless, I don't mind having a decent meal.''

''As the Demon Lord of Gluttony, you should know that well,'' Setsuna remarked. Impmon smirked.

''You're right about that,'' he said.

''-calu?'' Setsuna and Impmon looked at Calumon, who was staring at the at the streets. Since it was already quite dark, the street lights have turned on, illuminating the buildings. ''This looks pretty.''

''Well, it certainly is different than what we are used to see,'' Impmon remarked. ''I mean, there are cities in the Digital World, but they're not like this.''

''I'm sure that you'll get used to it,'' Setsuna said. ''I'm looking forward to see what the DigiWorld and Cyberspace has in store for us.''

Impmon nodded and looked back at the streets. He didn't really care where he'd be now, as long as he got to meet strong opponents he could fight against. The more difficult the challenge was, the more he'd enjoy himself.

**xXx**

Reiko took a deep breath as she suddenly stopped in front of a digital field, bracing herself as she put on her light blue sunglasses and entered it. Renamon was already inside the field, observing her opponent, a huge, lion-like Digimon whose mane and fur seemed to be made out of pure fire. As Renamon locked eyes with her opponent, Reiko took out her D-App, which showed her a screen that had the information about the Digimon written on it.

''Lynxmon, an Armor-level Vaccine-attribute Beast Digimon that evolved through the power of the Digimental of Courage. Apparently, it has a rivalry with the Garurumon species,'' Reiko muttered. ''It may be an Armor-level, but we have the advantage when it comes to attribute.'' She looked at Renamon. ''Take it down.''

''Yes, Rei,'' Renamon ran towards Lynxmon, who roared, its mane glowing as the thermal energy withing its body started to grow. Renamon leapt into the air, crossing her arms and generating dozens of glowing sharpened leaves.

_''Thermal Mane!''_

_''Diamond Storm!''_

Lynxmon detonated the energy it created, generating a burst of flames, while Renamon released a barrage of sharpened leaves at Lynxmon. The attacks collided with each other, creating a small explosion. As the smoke subsided, Lynxmon rushed towards Renamon as she landed on the ground.

_''Wild Nail Rush!''_

Renamon's eyes glowed blue for a moment.

_''Kohenkyo!''_

Instead of slashing through Renamon, Lynxmon hit a copy that disappeared immediatly. It looked around, confused, while Reiko held up her D-App.

 _''Power Paw!''_ Renamon suddenly appeared from above Lynxmon, igniting her hand and feet in blue fire and striking at it. Lynxmon roared in pain as Renamon hit it right in the back.

''Let's finish this.'' Reiko looked at the holographic Digi-Card that appeared above the screen of her D-App. She touched the card with her finger, causing it to spin and turn into data particles, which got absorbed into the D-App, with the D-App glowing. _''Card Scan! Power Charger!''_

Renamon started to glow in a red aura and leapt into the air, landing right in front of Lynxmon as it tried to get up.

_''Diamond Storm!''_

This time, the attack connected, causing Lynxmon to be shredded into tiny data particles, all of which were absorbed by Renamon. Reiko crossed her arms as the digital field surrounding them disappeared.

''That was a quick match,'' she said, her tone of voice being rather neutral. ''Let's go, Renamon.''

She turned around, walking down the street, while Renamon simply disappeared.

**xXx**

''This is getting silly,'' Takuto muttered as he helped Guilmon to get out of his house, with Guilmon still wearing the box. He checked the kitchen, noticing his mother working on one of her experimental meals, and signaled Guilmon to quickly follow him.

''Takuto? Are you going out again?'' Kimiko asked without turning around. Takuto panicked, quickly trying to push Guilmon out of the hallway and through the door.

''Yeah! I'll be meeting up with a friend and we'll stay out late,'' Takuto replied, breathing a sigh of relief as Guilmon exited the house. He froze when his mother walked into the hallway.

''Oh, that's nice,'' Kimiko said, smiling. ''Maybe you could sometime invite your friend over for dinner.''

''I'll keep that in mind,'' Takuto replied, quickly rushing out of the house and closing the door behind him. ''Bye!''

He then approached Guilmon, who was standing on the street, and quickly pushed him out of the sight of his house, hoping that his mother hadn't seen him. He then removed the box, placing it next to a nearby trash can.

''I'm sorry about this, Guilmon,'' Takuto told him. ''I know that it would be easier to just tell Mum about you, but I'm not sure whether I want to know what her reaction is going to be.''

''Don't worry about me,'' Guilmon replied, grinning. ''I'm actually having a lot of fun with this.''

''That's good to hear,'' Takuto said, rubbing the back of his head. ''Anyways, let's go find Setsuna, Impmon and Calumon.''

The two went walked over to the park, noticing a few children playing there, with Takuto being a little worried about their reaction to Guilmon, aware that he is going to probably attract attention by having a huge red dinosaur walking beside him. However, before he could do anything, he saw Guilmon sniffing the air and then running towards the apartment complex.

''Hey, wait!''

Takuto had followed Guilmon into the building, with the Digimon running upstairs, following the scent he had picked up. The chase had finally ended when Guilmon stopped in front of a random door, sniffing the air again.

''Impmon and Calumon are here,'' he told Takuto, who leaned against the wall, being winded from all the running.

''Are you completely sure about it?'' he asked Guilmon, who nodded. He then turned to the door, knocking on it. ''I hope they're still inside.''

Eventually, they heards steps, with Setsuna opening the door, looking surprised to see the two. ''How did you know where I live?''

''I have found you by following my nose,'' Guilmon explained, looking past Setsuna and noticing Impmon and Calumon. ''Besides, it's in our nature to sense the presence of other Digimon.''

''That's true,'' Impmon added.

''So, may we come inside?'' Takuto asked, noticing Setsuna raising an eyebrow. He then lowered his head. ''Ah, I'm sorry for the intrusion.''

Setsuna groaned, entering her apartment. ''Come in.''

''Thanks,'' Takuto grinned sheepishly, with him and Guilmon entering Setsuna's apartment. ''Um, aren't your parents at home?''

''Actually, I'm living here by myself,'' Setsuna replied. ''My parents work overseas.''

''Technically, you have two roommates,'' Impmon told her, with Calumon jumping on his head.

''Yeah, you're not alone, –calu,'' Calumon added, with Setsuna smiling. Meanwhile, Takuto and Guilmon took a look around, noticing Setsuna's D-App next to her laptop. Takuto glanced at the screen, realizing that Setsuna had opened the _Digimon Story: Lost World_ video game. Setsuna walked over to him.

''So, have you also figured out that you can add the Digi-Cards from the game to the D-App?'' she asked. Takuto gave her a stunned look.

''Wait, you can do that?!'' he said. Setsuna's eyes narrowed and she sighed.

''Don't tell me you didn't examine the D-App after you got home,'' she said. Takuto rubbed the back of his head.

''Not really… I just figured that I would learn more about it as I go along,'' he replied, a sheepish grin spreading on his expression. Setsuna didn't look amused, shaking her head as she walked up to her laptop and picked her D-App up. ''Anyways, I was hoping that we all could go back to the Cyberspace and explore it.''

''I had also thought about it,'' Setsuna replied. ''We could try and find that Hacker we had ran into yesterday.''

''If we do, I would love to have a conversation with him about what he had done to me,'' Guilmon said, frowning.

''Trust me, Guilmon, you aren't the only one,'' Takuto said, his eyes narrowing. ''He told us how there's some kind of black market for Digimon and I feel that it would be worth investigating.''

''Do you even know where to find that guy or the black market?'' Impmon asked, crossing his arms.

''No,'' Takuto and Guilmon muttered.

''Do you even know how to get to the Cyberspace?'' Setsuna asked. Takuto and Guilmon exchanged looks, then shook their heads.

''We kind of hoped that you would figure it out,'' Takuto explained. ''I mean, you were the one who had found out how to return to the Real World.''

''You know, it wouldn't be a bad thing if you showed more curiosity about the technical side of things, so I wouldn't have to do all of the work,'' Setsuna told him. ''Nevertheless, I did my research. Apparently, the D-App reacts to any kind of electronic device connected to the internet, be it a computer or a smartphone. I haven't tried it out yet, but I'm certain that that's the way to get to the Cyberspace.''

''I see, it's similar to those Digital Gates from _Digimon Adventure 02_ ,'' Takuto said, happy about the discovery. ''So, how exactly does this work?''

''You'll see,'' Setsuna held up her D-App, whose screen lit up, showing the connect port link. Suddenly, they got all surrounded by a digital field, only to appear moments later on a connect port in the Cyberspace.

''It seems that you were right about your theory,'' Impmon told Setsuna as everyone got off the port. ''However, I'm still curious about where we are supposed to go now. It's not like we know where that guy is.''

''I think we should ask Takuto about it,'' Setsuna said, smirking as she crossed her arms. ''He seems to fancy himself as this group's Gogglehead.''

''What?'' Takuto was surprised by Setsuna's response.

''Gogglehead? But, you both are wearing goggles,'' Guilmon pointed out. Takuto rubbed the back of his head, a sheepish grin forming on his lips.

''What Setsuna meant is that, in Digimon tradition, when it comes to humans, the one who wears the goggles is usually recognized as the leader,'' he explained.

''Then I'd prefer Setsuna as the leader,'' Impmon said, glancing at his Tamer. ''After all, you were the one who got us here.''

''Well, I-'' Setsuna was a little stunned about the suggestion.

''I kind of have agree with Impmon on this,'' Takuto added. ''Why would you suggest that I'd be the leader?''

''Because you were the one insisting on us staying together,'' Setsuna replied. ''If you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly a team player.''

''But, you do want to stay with us, right? –calu,'' Calumon asked, jumping on her shoulder. Setsuna shrugged.

''I guess I am,'' she replied. ''It's not like I have anything better to do.''

''Okay, then,'' Takuto said, drawing everyone's attention. ''Since that's settled, I think that the best thing to do now would be to separate and explore the Cyberspace, trying to get as much information about it as possible. We might even run into other humans and Digimon while we're at it.''

''That's actually a smart idea,'' Setsuna said.

''Right, we'll meet up in a few hours here again,'' Takuto said, with him and Guilmon then walking away in one direction, while Setsuna, Impmon and Calumon went into the other direction. Setsuna briefly glanced back at Takuto's direction, a tiny smile forming on her lips.

_Maybe I had underestimated him. This should be interesting._

**xXx**

''Is it just me or is this place really empty?'' Takuto asked as he and Guilmon arrived at the end of a platform. So far, they had been walking around for an hour, but they hadn't seen anyone here.

''I'm sure that we'll find someone eventually,'' Guilmon said, sniffing the air close to another connect port.

''Did you manage to pick up any scent?'' Takuto asked him.

''Not yet,'' Guilmon replied, continuing with his search. There was something, but the scent was quite weak. ''Someone had been here.''

''Do you think that you could find them?'' Takuto asked, with Guilmon turning to him.

''I'll try my best,'' he replied, sniffing the air again. ''This way!''

Takuto ran after Guilmon, who would every so often stop in order to sniff the air again and determine where the source of the scent was. As the two turned a corner, Guilmon's pupils shrunk into slits, with him growling.

''Guilmon, what's the matter?'' Takuto asked him.

''A Digimon is nearby,'' Guilmon said, running forwards. Takuto followed him and, as they turned the corner, they found themselves staring at another teenager and what appeared to be his Digimon partner. Takuto was a bit stunned to see him, glancing down at the Digimon.

''Huh? That's Terriermon,'' he said.

''Yeah, that's me, but who are you?'' Terriermon asked, giving Takuto and Guilmon a curious look. ''And why is your partner growling at me?''

''Oh, that… I'm Momotsuka Takuto, and this is Guilmon,'' Takuto introduced himself, with Guilmon stepping back, still staring at Terriermon, his pupils turning back to normal. Takuto then glanced at the other teenager. ''And, you are?''

''I'm Aoki Keiji,'' Keiji replied, giving Takuto a curious look. ''I didn't really expect to meet another Tamer. This part of the Cyberspace is pretty much devoid of people and Digimon.''

''Really?'' Takuto felt crestfallen. ''I thought that I'd find a lot of Tamers and Digimon here.''

''Well, you did find us,'' Terriermon said. ''Momentai.''

''What does 'Momentai' mean?'' Guilmon asked Terriermon curiously.

''It means 'take it easy' or 'relax','' Terriermon explained, crossing his arms. ''You two should take it at face value, since you seem to be pretty stressed.''

''We had a rather dangerous encounter with a Digimon yesterday, so I guess that we're just trying to be more careful,'' Takuto admitted.

''I see,'' Keiji said. ''Well, you don't have to worry about anything now. This part is relatively safe- huh?'' He looked up, with Takuto, Guilmon and Terriermon following his gaze. Keiji then suddenly panicked as he saw strange digital entities suddenly appearing in the sky and flying towards them. ''Viruses!''

''What?!'' Takuto looked at Keiji, feeling completely confused when the latter panicked.

''We need to get out of this place this instant,'' Keiji told him. ''Follow me!''

Takuto and Guilmon were a bit stunned, but quickly complied, following Keiji and Terriermon. Whatever those digital entities were, it was clear to them that it was something they shouldn't interact with.

**xXx**

''I don't think there's anyone here,'' Setsuna said as they walked down an empty platform.

''I wonder whether Takuto and Guilmon have more luck,'' Impmon said, having placed his hands on the back of his head. ''Although, even if we find that guy, what are we going to do then? The obvious answer would be to fight him, but if he brings in another Ultimate or Mega, me and Guilmon won't be able to do much as long as we're at our Rookie level.''

''Can't you digivolve on your own?'' Setsuna asked curiously.

''Believe me, I tried, but currently, I still don't have the strength necessary to digivolve back to my Mega level,'' Impmon replied. ''Besides, have you thought about summoning your Digisoul?''

''I did, but I just can't get that feeling I had when we fought against Megidramon,'' Setsuna admitted, looking down at her hand. ''Perhaps we should take part in another battle, maybe I'll be able to summon it then.''

''Sounds good to me,'' Impmon said, noticing Calumon, who was giving him a worried look. ''Don't worry, Creampuff; there is no Digimon that would be able to beat me.''

''What about Gallantmon? –calu,'' Calumon asked, with Impmon face-faulting.

''Okay, any Digimon except for him,'' Impmon replied, frowning. However, his eyes then widened and he turned around, sensing the presence of another Digimon.  
 _''Diamond Storm!''_

Impmon quickly dodged the attack, with the sharp leaves hitting the ground and turning into data particles. He then turned towards his foe, a Renamon, who glared at him.

''If you think that you would be able to take me down so easily, you were wrong,'' Impmon said, staring at Renamon. Setsuna took out her D-App, with an analyzer appearing on the screen.

''Renamon, a Rookie-level Beast Man Digimon of the Data attribute. It is always calm, cool, and collected, as well as disciplined enough not to lose that composure in any situation. Its slender, tall appearance stands out when compared with other Rookie levels, and rather than emphasising on power in battle, it instead makes sport of the enemy with various techniques that utilise its speed,'' Setsuna read some of the information that had been displayed on the analyzer.

''Nothing I can't take care of,'' Impmon said, with Renamon's eyes narrowing.

''I wouldn't be so confident if I were you,'' Renamon said.

''You may have the advantage as a Virus-attribute Digimon, but Renamon still has more experience.'' Setsuna, Impmon and Calumon were surprised to see a girl walk up to them, realizing she was Renamon's Tamer. ''I sincerely doubt that your partner would be able to beat Renamon in a battle.''

''You want to say I'm weak?'' Impmon frowned, glaring at the girl, who ignored him in favour of addressing Setsuna.

''Say, you, how long have you been a Tamer?'' she asked the teen.

''I met Impmon yesterday,'' Setsuna replied. The girl rose an eyebrow.

''So, you are a complete amateur,'' she said, glancing at her partner. ''I don't think we should be wasting our time on those weaklings, Renamon.''

''Hey, only because we're still new to this doesn't mean that we're weak!'' Setsuna yelled angrily at the girl. ''Who are you anyways?''

''The name is Tsukiya Reiko, and you?'' Reiko asked.

''Takashi Setsuna,'' Setsuna replied. ''Let me assure you, Impmon and I will beat you two.''

''Fine by me,'' Reiko said, shrugging, with Renamon taking a battle stance. Impmon tensed, grinning as he realized that he'd get to finally fight another Digimon. Sure, he may not be at his full power, but he had figured that he could have some fun. Not to mention, he was curious to see how a battle alongside a Tamer would turn out.

Renamon was the first one to move, quickly crossing her arms and jumping into the air. A the same time, Reiko held up her D-App, activating a holographic Digi-Card.

_''Card Scan! Counter Attack!''_

_''Diamond Storm!''_ Renamon released a barrage of sharpened leaves at Impmon, who managed to quickly dodge them by jumping backwards.

 _''Summon!''_ He then summoned the elementals of flame and ice, combining them into a sphere and fired it at Renamon, who got hit by it, stumbling backwards. However, just when Impmon's attack hit Renamon, a weaker sphere of energy exploded right in front of Impmon, knocking him over.

''What was that?'' Setsuna was stunned by what just happened.

''That was the 'Counter Attack' Digi-Card,'' Reiko explained. ''For a limited time, whenever Renamon gets hit, the opponent too suffers from damage.'' Her eyes narrowed. ''If you weren't such an amateur, you would know that.''

''Stop calling me an amateur!'' Setsuna yelled at Reiko, with Impmon getting back on his feet. She glanced at the screen on her D-App, which featured a bunch of Digi-Cards. _Power alone won't bring us far in this battle. Renamon is quite fast and we'll need to match her speed._ She looked down at Impmon. ''Ready?''

''Always,'' Impmon nodded, turning back towards Renamon as Setsuna selected a Digi-Card, which started to spin, turning into data particles, which got absorbed into the D-App.

 _''Card Scan!_ _High Speed Plug-In H!''_

Impmon ran towards Renamon, this time being just as fast as the fox-like Digimon herself, if not even faster. Renamon, on the other hand, wasn't fazed by it, feeling that it was more of a desperate move to match her abilities.

 _''Kohenkyo!''_ Her eyes glowed briefly and she vanished, creating a substitute for Impmon to attack. To her surprise, Impmon didn't attack the copy, but instead waited as Setsuna scanned another card.

_''Card Scan! Plug Expansion!''_

A plug similar to that of an Appmon suddenly emerged from Renamon's back, connecting with the one that emerged from Impmon's back. The Small Devil Digimon turned around, grinning as he spotted her.

 _''Night of Blizzard!''_ He unleashed a dark blizzard, with Renamon attempting to shield herself from the tiny ice shards, only to cry out in pain as they pierced her body. This was followed by a small explosion that hit both Digimon.

''What?!'' Reiko was shocked by the result, especially after seeing how much damage Renamon took, while Impmon remained relatively unscathed. ''But, how?''

''If you were such an experienced Tamer, you'd know that 'Plug Expansion!' is a card that allows one Digimon to connect to the power of another Digimon on the field. It appears that it works even if the other Digimon is the opponent and it even takes activated cards into consideration,'' Setsuna said, with the plug that connected Renamon to Impmon turning into data particles and vanishing. ''Now, we're going for the offensive!''

''Got it!'' Impmon summoned flames of darkness on his fingertips and shot them at Renamon. _''Night of Fire!''_

''Renamon, watch out!'' Reiko exclaimed, with Renamon quickly recovering and dodging the flames. She then ignited her paws and feet in blue fire, opting for close combat.

_''Power Paw!''_

_''Pillar of Fire!''_ Before Renamon could strike Impmon, he combined a blue and a red sphere of fire, creating a wall of flames, with Renamon slashing through it, only to realize that it was a distraction. She turned around, seeing Impmon behind her.

 _''Summon!''_ He fired another sphere of flame and ice elementals at Renamon, hitting her point-blank. She fell over, being quite badly bruised by the attack.

''Renamon!'' Reiko cried out, gritting her teeth as she looked at Setsuna and Impmon. _How are they so strong? Renamon and I should've been the ones winning this battle._

''You know, while we might still trying to get used to being a team, I have a lot of experience fighting on my own,'' Impmon said, looking at Renamon and grinning.

''I may be an amateur as a Tamer, but I have extensive knowledge about the Digimon lore and I created a deck that suited Impmon the best,'' Setsuna said, smiling as she stared at Reiko. ''All we needed was a battle to figure out how to work together.''

''I guess that I had underestimated you,'' Reiko said as Renamon stood up. She selected another card, with Setsuna and Impmon noticing that the card was different from the other ones, having a blue outline. _'_

_'Card Scan! Digivolution Plug-In S!''_

At the same time, the Zero Unit on Calumon's forehead and Reiko's D-App started to glow, with the following word appearing on the screen:

_EVOLUTION…_

Streams of blue data emerged from the D-App, covering Renamon in a blue cocoon in the shape of a DigiTama.

_''Renamon, Digivolves to…!''_

The texture that was Renamon's skin was ripped off, leaving only the grid beneath. The grid then reshaped, with Renamon taking the appearance of a yellow nine-tailed kitsune, with mystical flames covering her feet and the tail tips. She then struck a pose.

_''Kyubimon!''_

''Renamon digivolved,'' Setsuna muttered as she Impmon and Calumon stared at the Champion-level Digimon. She clenched her fist, knowing that taking on Kyubimon won't be easy. Impmon, on the other hand, didn't seem to be that bothered by how things had turned out.

''Tch, you couldn't beat us at your Rookie level so you decided to digivolve to your Champion level,'' Impmon smirked. ''Pathetic.''

Kyubimon tensed, glaring at Impmon, but before either could attack, they sensed something strange and looked up, noticing strange digital entities flying across the sky towards them.

''What's that?'' Setsuna asked, confused by the appearance of those entities.

''Viruses,'' Reiko frowned.

**xXx**

''Wait, what do you mean, viruses?'' Takuto asked as he and Guilmon followed Keiji and Terriermon.

''They appear from time to time here, causing havoc in the Cyberspace,'' Keiji explained. ''Depending on the strength of the virus, they can delete a Digimon.''

''That's not good,'' Guilmon said, glancing at Takuto. ''Setsuna, Impmon and Calumon have no idea about this.''

''Then you should hope that they won't run into the viruses,'' Terriermon told them. Takuto and Guilmon exchanged glances, aware that Setsuna and Impmon would more likely engage in a battle against the viruses.

''We need to find them,'' Takuto said, with Guilmon nodding. _At least I hope that we'll be able to find them._


	6. One Vision

**Entry 5**

**One Vision**

_''Time for two minds with one vision! This is the beginning of our evolution! We stay together because we are ready for the flight into infinity!''_

_– **Eine Vision** by Digimon Tamers_

**xXxXxXx**

''What are you talking about?'' Setsuna asked Reiko as she observed the viruses flying closer towards them. Instead of replying to her, Reiko quickly got on Kyubimon's back. The kitsune Digimon then turned towards the swarm of viruses. She straightened her tail tips, igniting them.

 _''Fox Tail Inferno!''_ Kyubimon fired nine blue fireballs from the tips of her tails, knocking several of the viruses over. However, it didn't appear to be enough to completely delete them. ''Rei, they seem to be on a higher level.''

''Damn it,'' Reiko muttered. ''We need to get out of here, Kyubimon!''

Kyubimon nodded, briefly glancing at Setsuna, Impmon and Calumon, who still didn't appear to be aware of just how bad the situation was, and then quickly ran off.

''Hey, you can't just ditch an ongoing battle!'' Impmon yelled after her angrily, stomping on the ground.

''Impmon, I think we have a bigger issue to deal with,'' Setsuna told him, glancing back at the viruses. Suddenly, several of them shoot charges of electricity at them, with the three barely avoiding the attack by jumping aside.

 _''Night of Blizzard!''_ Impmon summoned a dark blizzard, but it didn't affect the viruses as all. He gritted his teeth, growling in frustration.

''What do we do now? –calu,'' Calumon asked.

''We need to get out of here,'' Setsuna replied, scooping Calumon up and running, only to realize a moment later than her partner wasn't following her. ''Impmon!''

 _''Pillar of Fire!''_ Impmon fired the combined elementals of fire and ice at the viruses, creating a firewall. He then quickly joined Setsuna and Calumon. ''I hope that this would stall them until we can get away.''

''It doesn't work, -calu!'' Calumon said in an alarming tone, holding onto Setsuna's shoulder and glancing back. Several of the viruses summoned a water-type attack, breaking the firewall into data particles. ''They're getting closer, –calu!''

Setsuna and Impmon picked up the pace, turning left at a crossroad and noticing more platforms and strange blocks of data surrounding them. One of those blocks of data was tattered, revealing a small crevice. ''Over here!''

Impmon followed Setsuna and Calumon behind the tattered block of data, hiding underneath inside the crevice and letting the viruses pass by them. The three sighed in relief, crawling out of their hidding spot. Setsuna looked down at her hand, attempting to summon her Digisoul, since she knew that Beelzemon would be strong enough to destroy the viruses, especially considering how Kyubimon, a Champion, couldn't do it. However, nothing happened, causing Setsuna to feel frustrated.

_Why don't I feel anything?_

''What's wrong, –calu?'' Calumon asked her worriedly, having noticed that Setsuna shaking.

''I just can't summon my Digisoul,'' she replied, glancing at Impmon. ''I'm sorry, I feel like I failed you.''

''That's what's bothering you?'' Impmon rose an eyebrow, staring at Setsuna. ''If you're going to throw yourself a pity party, go ahead, but I don't want a Tamer who gives up at the first sign of failure.''

''That's not what I meant-'' Setsuna shook her head, with Impmon interrupting her.

''To make it clear, the reason why I agreed to being your partner was because I saw how determined you were to fight during the battle against Megidramon,'' he explained. ''I had hoped that I would see more of it instead of you getting upset over one setback.''

Setsuna stared at him in surprise, but then nodded with a confident look on her expression. ''You're right.''

''Of course I am,'' Impmon said, grinning mischievously. ''Now, let's go find Duke and that Gogglehead.''

Setsuna smiled, nodding. She knew that she had to get a grip on herself and she knew that she would eventually figure out how to control her Digisoul.

**xXx**

_''Pyro Sphere!''_

_''Terrier Tornado!''_

Guilmon and Terriermon attacked the viruses by firing a red-hot fireball and a green tornado at them respectively, but it didn't do any damage to the swarm. They turned around, noticing that the swarm of viruses that had followed them had managed to catch up with them. They were surrounded with no way to escape their pursuers.

''They're much stronger than a Rookie,'' Keiji said, with Takuto glancing at him as he held up his green and white D-App. ''I hope they're not on the level of an Ultimate or a Mega, because we're screwed if that's the case. Terriermon, ready?''

''You mean-'' Takuto muttered as he realized what Keiji was up to. Terriermon meanwhile turned back to his partner.

''Yeah! Let's level up!'' he exclaimed.

Keiji held up his D-App, selecting a card which had a green outline, causing it to spin and and fall apart into tiny data particles, getting absorbed into the Digivice.

_''Card Scan! Digivolution Plug-In S!''_

Keiji's D-App started to glow, with the following word appearing on the screen:

_EVOLUTION…_

Streams of green data emerged from the D-App, covering Terriermon in a green cocoon in the shape of a DigiTama.

_''Terriermon, Digivolves to…!''_

The texture that was Terriermon's skin was ripped off, leaving only the grid beneath. The grid then reshaped, with Terriermon growing taller and bulkier, his arms shaping into mini-gun-like gauntlets and jeans appearing on his legs. He then slung the bandolier around his shoulder like a sash, clipping it, and struck a pose.

_''Gargomon!''_

''Terriermon has digivolved…'' Takuto muttered, staring at Gargomon in awe.

''Takuto, you should let me digivolve as well,'' Guilmon told him, snapping Takuto out of stunned state. Takuto nodded, attempting to summon his Digisoul, but nothing had happened. He stared at his hand, but that warm, prickly feeling wouldn't just come to him.

''I can't-'' he said, completely at a loss. He and Guilmon looked up, watching Gargomon as he charged towards the viruses.

''Let's see how you like this! _Gargo Pellets!_ '' Gargomon fired bullets from both of his arms at the viruses, but the attack did no damage to them. In fact, it seemed as if it had only provoked them. Gargomon stopped firing, looking alarmed. ''Oh, uh, this is bad!''

''We need to break through! Gargomon, try this!'' Keiji held up his D-App again, selecting another card. _''Card Scan! Thor Hammer!''_

''Now that's more like it!'' Gargomon exclaimed as lightning struck, forming the hammer Zudomon usually carried around. He grabbed it with both hands and swung it downwards. _''Hammer Spark!''_ A powerful bolt of electricity shot out of the hammer and towards the viruses, deleting several of them. ''We did it-huh?!'' However, before he could celebrate, the data particles converged, forming a new virus. ''Are you kidding me?!''

''It's no use,'' Takuto said. ''If we attack them, they'll just reform. We need to figure out another way to beat them.''

''What do you suggest?'' Keiji asked. Takuto lowered his head, knowing that he held the key to victory, but he had no idea how to use it properly. Suddenly, several of the viruses charged at them, with Guilmon and Gargomon running towards them.

_''Rock Breaker!''_

_''Bunny Pummel!''_

While Guilmon attempted to slash through the viruses with his sturdy claws, Gargomon tried to smash them with his Gatling Arm. However, the viruses suddenly sprouted wires, wrapping around the two and slamming them on the ground.

''Guilmon!''

''Gargomon!''

Takuto and Keiji cried out, watching helplessly as the viruses charged at their Digimon partners, who were unable to dodge the attack.

_''Pillar of Fire!''_

An orb of fire and ice flew above Guilmon and Gargomon, exploding into a firewall that shielded them from the viruses and gave them enough time to recover and get back to their Tamers. Takuto and Keiji turned around, seeing Setsuna, Impmon and Calumon running towards them.

''Setsuna! I'm so glad to see you guys!'' Takuto told her as the three approached them.

''I though that you and Guilmon would be able to handle the situation, but I guess that I was wrong,'' Setsuna replied in a dry tone.

''Do you really have to tease us now?'' Takuto asked dejectedly.

''You two know each other?'' Keiji asked, looking at the newcomers.

''Yeah, we do-'' Takuto said, but got interrupted by Setsuna.

''Now is not the time for introductions! We need to fight back against those viruses!'' she said harshly.

''That's easier said than done,'' Takuto told her, with Setsuna realizing that he had just as much trouble summoning his Digisoul as she did.

''It doesn't matter, I won't back away from this battle,'' Guilmon said, drawing Takuto's attention. ''We will fight together, Takuto, and we will protect everyone.''

Takuto stared at his partner, stunned, but then he nodded, giving his partner a resolute look. ''Right! We won't let them harm anyone!''

''Unfortunately, you won't last.''

Takuto, Guilmon, Setsuna, Impmon, Keiji, Gargomon and Calumon looked up, noticing a rather familiar person standing on a platform above them. It was the Hacker from the day before, looking quite satisfied with how the situation turned out. Unknown to either of them, they weren't completely alone, as Reiko and Kyubimon were standing on a different platform, having noticed the large amount of viruses, and were watching the spectacle below them.

''You!'' Takuto gritted his teeth, realizing what was going on. ''You were the one who did this!''

''It appears that you aren't as dimwitted as I thought,'' the Hacker replied, smirking. ''At least you spared me the effort of searching for you.''

''Who is this guy?'' Keiji asked.

''He is a Hacker who attacked us the day before. We managed to beat him and after he vanished, we figured we should search for him,'' Setsuna explained. ''He's supposedly searching for the data of special Digimon in order to sell it on the black market.''

''That's awful,'' Keiji said, glaring at the Hacker. ''We won't allow you-''

''Do you really think I'm interested in your puny Champion?'' the Hacker interrupted him, glancing at Guilmon and Impmon. ''I have set my eyes on a far greater prize.''

''If you want our data, you will have to fight us for it!'' Impmon replied.

Back on their platform, Reiko and Kyubimon frowned, with Kyubimon glancing at her partner. ''Should we do something, Rei?''

''No,'' Reiko replied. ''Let them fight. Something tells me that that Impmon knows what he's talking about and I want to see what kind of power he has to back up his claims.''

Kyubimon didn't say anything and instead looked back down at the battle, where Guilmon, Impmon and Gargomon braced themselves for another attack, with the viruses suddenly unleashing a huge stream of flames.

_''Pyro Sphere!''_

_''Night of Fire!''_

_''Gargo Pellets!''_

The attacks collided, with the resulting shockwave of the impact blowing the Digimon off their feet. The viruses then released an electric attack, this time shocking the Digimon. The trio screamed in pain, only to fall over, feeling as if the viruses had absorbed all of their energy.

''No!'' Takuto yelled, running over to Guilmon. Keiji went towards Gargomon, while Setsuna and Calumon checked on Impmon. All of the Digimon were in a bad shape, with Impmon and Guilmon having small patches of loose data on their body. ''Guilmon, are you okay?''

''I've- I've been through worse…'' Guilmon said, trying to get up. His body was screaming for him to lay down, but he knew that he couldn't. ''I-I have to protect you… and everyone…''

''But not like this,'' Takuto said, clenching his fist and glancing at Setsuna, who was trying to help Impmon up.

''I'm not going to let myself beaten up by some pathetic virus,'' he said, cringing in pain and holding his shoulder, trying to prevent his wound from getting worse.

''Neither will I,'' Setsuna said, a determined look on her expression. She clenched her fist as she helped Impmon to stand up. ''We will fight back and we will tear that Hacker a new one!''

Impmon nodded and he and Setsuna glanced at Takuto and Guilmon, who had also managed to get up. The two acknowledged them, with all four glaring at the Hacker, who didn't look particularly impressed by their resolve.

''You should just give up,'' he told them. ''Those viruses I had created can handle attacks from Ultimates and even from Megas. You won't win this fight-''

''SHUT UP!'' Takuto and Setsuna yelled in unison, surprising everyone.

''Guilmon and I won't allow someone like you to just walk around and hurt people! It doesn't matter what it takes, we will protect our friends!'' Takuto said, with his fist suddenly exploding in crimson Digisoul, which then spread through his body, surrounding him in a crimson aura.

''If you really think that Impmon and I are going to give up, you're wrong! We're here to fight to the bitter end!'' Setsuna said, with her fist suddenly exploding in dark purple Digisoul, which spread through her body, surrounding her in a dark purple aura.

Both of them held up their D-Apps, with Guilmon and Impmon stepping out, the two as well being surrounded by Digisoul. Suddenly, the D-Apps flashed, with the following words appearing on the screen:

_WARP EVOLUTION…_

Takuto and Setsuna gathered all of their Digisoul into their fist, charging it into their D-App.

_''Digisoul, charge! Overdrive!''_

A spiral of crimson and dark purple Digisoul burst out of their D-Apps respectively, with the spiral flowing down, enveloping Guilmon and Impmon and causing their skin to be torn away and revealing the grid beneath it. The two Digimon then absorbed their respective spirals of data, with the surrounding data forming a crimson and a dark purple orb around them.

_''Guilmon, Warp Digivolution to…!''_

Guilmon's body burst apart into data particles, reshaping into that of a tall humanoid knight Digimon clad in crimson, golden and white armor. A flowing crimson cape formed behind him and a small Guilmon-shaped helmet appeared on the top of his head, causing the Digimon to open his eyes, which flashed yellow. His left arm turned into the shield Aegis and his right arm turned into the holy lance Gram. The orb surrounding him suddenly burst apart, with the Digimon striking a pose.

_''Gallantmon!''_

_''Impmon, Warp Digivolution to…!''_

Impmon's body burst apart into data particles, reshaping into that of a tall humanoid demon Digimon. He was clad in black leather, his jacket, trousers and boots dotted with steel parts. A long metallic tail appeared on his back, along with gauntlets on his arms, a red bandanna on his left bicep and a purple helmet on his head, causing the Digimon to open his eyes, which flashed red. The orb surrounding him burst apart as he reached for the twin shotguns, the Berenjena, on the holsters on his left boot and back and struck a pose.

_''Beelzemon!''_

The Royal Knight and the Demon Lord stepped out, with everyone save for Takuto and Setsuna staring at them in shock, having not expected this outcome.

''It really feels good to be back,'' Beelzemon said, smirking as he flexed his claws. He could feel the power that Setsuna had granted him flow through his body, stronger than the one he experienced before.

''It seems that our partners' resolve to keep on fighting, which resonanted with our own desires, was what finally let them awaken their Digisoul,'' Gallantmon said, him and Beelzemon glancing at Takuto and Setsuna.

''All we needed was to be reminded why we became Tamers in the first place,'' Takuto replied.

''Now it's time to show them what we're capable of!'' Setsuna exclaimed, fist-pumping. ''Seriously, all we need is _Believer_ from _Digimon Savers_ or _One Vision_ from _Digimon Tamers_ to play in the background and we're good to go.''

''If you ask me, even _Be The Winners_ from _Digimon Adventure:_ would be enough, as long as we get beat this guy,'' Takuto said. ''Let's go, Gallantmon!''

''You too, Beelzemon!'' Setsuna cheered. The two Mega-level Digimon charged at the viruses.

 _''Royal Saber!''_ Gallantmon charged up his lance and slashed at the viruses, releasing an energy beam that tore them apart.

 _''Double Impact!''_ Beelzemon rapidly fired multiple rounds from his shotguns at the viruses, each bullet piercing through several of them and deleting them.

''This amazing!'' Keiji said, him and Gargomon being completely baffled as they did not expect for Guilmon and Impmon to digivolve to their Mega level. Calumon, on the other hand, cheered for his friends.

''You can do this! Gallantmon, Beelzemon, –calu!'' he exclaimed. Despite being apprehensive to watching his friends duke it out, he would always stand by their side.

''Unbelievable,'' Reiko muttered in shock as she and Kyubimon observed the battle.

''I assume that this is what Impmon was talking about,'' Kyubimon said, her eyes narrowing. _The whole time I was fighting against a Digimon who was wielding such incredible power. He could've easily deleted me if he wanted and he knew it._

Meanwhile, the data of the viruses Gallantmon and Beelzemon had deleted started to reform into a huge two-headed draconic entity resembling Zeed Millenniumon.

''That's not a Digimon, right?'' Gargomon asked, panicking a little.

''No, it isn't,'' Gallantmon responded, with the draconic virus suddenly roaring and slamming his claws down on the platform, breaking it and causing dark energy to spread through it.

''This virus will be the end of both of you!'' the Hacker told them.

''That's where you're wrong!'' Takuto replied, with his and Setsuna's D-App suddenly glowing. The two were stunned when a holographic card appeared the top of the screen, only to smile when they realized what it was.

_''Card Scan! ZERO-ARMS: Grani!''_

_''Card Scan! Behemoth!''_

Both extended their arms, with data bursting out of their D-Apps, forming into two digital lifeforms, one being a crimson and yellow flying steed for Gallantmon and the other being a huge black and red motorcycle for Beelzemon. The two Digimon were at first stunned to see their respective transport vehicles, but quickly mounted each of them, confronting the virus.

''Let's end this once and for all!'' Gallantmon said as Grani flew him above the virus.

 _''Right!''_ Grani responded, opening his mouth, with three orbs of energy forming in it. _''Yuggoth Blaster!''_

He fired the orbs of energy at the virus, who roared as the blast created a gaping hole in its chest, revealing its core. The virus attempted to reach for Gallantmon, slashing the air with its claws, but Grani was too fast for it, flying out of its reach.

''Hey, pea-brain!'' The virus didn't realize that Gallantmon and Grani were just distracting him, only noticing Beelzemon, who was driving on Behemoth at high-speed, at the last second, with the Demon Lord managing to gain enough momentum to scale up the virus. He infused his claws with dark energy, slashing through the virus' core. _''Darkness Claw!''_

The monstrous virus roared in agony as it got deleted, this time for good. The Hacker stared in shock and disbelief.

''No!'' He gasped when Gallantmon and Grani suddenly appeared in front of him, with Gallantmon pointing his lance at him, the tip being right at the Hacker's neck.

''Even though you don't deserve it, I will grant you an act of mercy,'' Gallantmon told him. ''Leave now and never bother anyone again, or I will hunt you down and personally make sure that you'll keep your word.''

''I will, I will! I promise!'' the Hacker yelled in panic, gasping in shock as Gallantmon and Grani retreated. He pressed a button on his bracelet, quickly vanishing.

Meanwhile, Gallantmon and Beelzemon reunited with their Tamers, Keiji, Gargomon and Calumon. To their surprise, Takuto and Setsuna looked exhausted, both breathing heavily.

''What's wrong, –calu?'' Calumon asked them worriedly as the two Tamers fell on their knees.

''I think that it's the Digisoul,'' Setsuna said, taking a deep breath and almost falling over had Beelzemon not grabbed her arm. ''Takuto and I still have trouble controlling it.''

''I'm surprised we even managed to stand for this long,'' Takuto said, breathing a sigh of relief as Gallantmon kneeled next to him, his lance and shield vanishing. He glanced at his partner and at Grani. ''You guys did great!''

''We wouldn't be here without you,'' Gallantmon told him. ''I hope that Hacker won't show up again.''

''If he does, we will wait for him,'' Beelzemon said, glancing at Setsuna who nodded. Beelzemon then glanced at the platform above them, locking eyes with Kyubimon and Reiko, who were staring back at him, looking a little disturbed that he had actually sensed their presence. Beelzemon merely smirked, aware that the two got his message. He observed them as they left and turned back to the group, noticing Keiji and Gargomon staring at them, while Takuto and Setsuna got up.

''I had no idea that your Digimon were able to digivolve to Mega!'' Keiji said, still baffled. ''Honestly, I thought that you had just started out as Tamers.''

''Actually, we did, but Beelzemon and Gallantmon are a different story,'' Setsuna said. ''Also, my name is Takashi Setsuna. You are-?''

''Aoki Keiji, nice to meet you,'' Keiji introduced himself and pointed at Gargomon. ''This is Gargomon, my partner, but he usually accompanies me as a Terriermon. Also, what exactly do you guys mean, your partners are a different story?''

''Well…'' Takuto glanced at Gallantmon, Setsuna and Beelzemon, hoping that they would be the ones to answer Keiji's question. Gallantmon and Beelzemon exchanged glances, seemingly daring each other to explain the situation at hand.

''Our partners are the Demon Lord Beelzemon and the Royal Knight Gallantmon, so go figure,'' Setsuna said. Keiji and Gargomon's jaws dropped in shock, while Setsuna noticed Takuto, Beelzemon, Gallantmon and Calumon staring at her in surprise. ''Well, if you decide to make them part of our team, they would've found out about it sooner or later.''

''Hey, I never said anything about forming a team,'' Takuto replied.

''So you want to say that Beelzemon and I are not part of the team?'' Setsuna asked.

''Wait, that's not what I meant!'' Takuto replied frantically. ''Of course you are part of the team-'' He frowned when he saw Setsuna smirking. ''You were just messing with me, weren't you?''

''Well, I am your rival,'' Setsuna replied, with Takuto sighing. While Gallantmon didn't look pleased with his partner being upset, Beelzemon approved of Setsuna's antics.

''Okay, I did not expect this to happen,'' Keiji said, feeling weirded out.

''I think you could compare this to encountering a newcomer in a video game who suddenly gained access to his endgame abilities,'' Gargomon added, with Keiji nodding.

''You're right about that,'' he said. Setsuna and Takuto just gave them sheepish looks.

''Nevertheless, we still have no idea how the Cyberspace functions and it would be great to have a guide,'' Takuto added.

''You can leave that to me and Gargomon,'' Keiji said, pointing with his thumb at himself. ''We know almost everything there is about this place and we can lead you to areas that are populated with other Tamers and Digimon.''

''Yay! We could make new friends, –calu!'' Calumon exclaimed, hopping onto Setsuna's shoulder.

''Or enemies,'' Beelzemon said, with Calumon giving him a wierd look.

''Way to ruin Calumon's mood, Beelzemon,'' Gallantmon said, crossing his arms.

''Actually, Beelzemon's right,'' Gargomon said. ''While there are Digimon who are there just to hang out, most of them are searching for someone they can battle against.''

''Speaking of battling, the D-App has a neat little feature that allows the Digimon to return even if it got deleted in battle,'' Keiji added.

''Seriously?'' Takuto asked, with Keiji nodding.

''The D-App creates back-up data for the Digimon, making sure that the DigiCore is protected. Of course, deleted Digimon's data can be absorbed, but that's just excessive data that had been left untouched by the D-App. Keep in mind, though, this only works in the Cyberspace. I don't think the D-App will work like this in the DigiWorld,'' he explained.

''Thank you for the information,'' Takuto said. ''That's good to know if we get in trouble.''

''Speaking of trouble, have you ever encountered someone like that guy?'' Setsuna asked.

''You mean other Hackers,'' Keiji said, crossing his arms. ''Honestly, this is the first time I encountered one, but I know a few people who got into trouble with them and had their Digimon forcefully deleted.''

''That's awful, –calu,'' Calumon muttered in a sad tone.

''There are all kinds of people and Digimon here and encountering another awful or selfish person isn't anything new,'' Gargomon said.

''Nevertheless, I did hear about Hackers who are willing to help other Tamers and Digimon,'' Keiji added. ''They're the real MVPs here.''

''Uh, what's an MVP, –calu?'' Calumon asked.

''It means 'Most Valuable Person' or 'Most Valuable Player','' Gargomon explained.

''I see,'' Calumon said, smiling as his ears expanded. ''Then, Beelzemon, Gallantmon, Setsuna and Takuto are also MVPs, because they mean a lot to me, –calu.''

The group couldn't help but smile at Calumon's innocent proclamation. Keiji then turned back to Takuto and Setsuna.

''In any case, there are also several groups of Hackers, with the one helping other people and Digimon being Ostiary,'' he continued. ''If you have ever played _Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Hacker's Memory,_ they're kinda similar Hudie, only that they operate independently from other hacker groups. However, I still wouldn't recommend getting involved with them unless it's necessary.''

''I see,'' Takuto muttered. ''So, for how long have you been a Tamer?''

''I think it's been five months since Gargomon and I met,'' Keiji said. ''It also took us a while to figure out how to get into the Cyberspace properly.''

''Have you ever met a girl named Tsukiya Reiko? She has a Renamon as her partner who can digivolve into Kyubimon,'' Setsuna asked. Keiji fell silent for a moment as he thought about it.

''Well, I think we did once see a Renamon zipping past when we were back at Tokyo,'' Keiji said, glancing at his partner. ''Right, Gargomon?''

''We did,'' Gargomon nodded. ''It is possible that we're talking about the same Digimon.''

''Is that what happened to you three?'' Gallantmon asked, turning to Beelzemon. ''You met another Tamer and Digimon?''

''Yeah, and we had a battle with them, which the viruses had interrupted,'' Beelzemon replied. ''I have a feeling that we might meet them again, especially if what you said is true.'' He smirked. ''After all, we have a battle to finish.''

''That can wait, though,'' Setsuna said, with Beelzemon giving her a curious look. ''We still have more stuff to explore here, don't we?''

''That's right!'' Takuto said enthusiastically.

**xXx**

''Rei, are you okay?'' Kyubimon asked as she walked through the Cyberspace. Reiko was unusually silent, worrying her.

''Those two Digimon… Do you think that they were a Demon Lord and a Royal Knight?'' Reiko asked.

''It is possible,'' Kyubimon replied, remembering the look Beelzemon gave her. It felt as if he wanted to get a message across to her, to let her know that he wasn't done with her yet.

''Regardless of who they are, we now have a powerful opponent to fight against,'' Reiko said.

**xXx**

''Damn it!''

The Hacker punched the wall beside him in anger, being furious at himself for being completely failing his mission. Somehow, those two Tamers had managed to let their Digimon digivolve to their Mega level, destroying the virus he had created. He thought that he'd be able to take the data, but it was obvious that he still needed to work on it.

''Found you.''

''Agh!'' The Hacker's eyes widened in fear as a robotic grim reaper with a scythe for the left hand and a gun on his right hand cornered him. The Digimon grabbed him by the neck, lifting him up and placed his scythe underneath his neck. ''Wh-Who are you?!''

''I've been searching for you,'' the Digimon replied. ''It appears that someone despises you enough to send me to take care of you.''

''Wh-aghr!'' The Hacker screamed when the Digimon suddenly squeezed his neck, leaving him gasping hungrily for air.

''I'm sure that you are already aware of your crimes and the punishment you deserve,'' the Digimon continued, pressing the tip of his scythe against the Hacker's neck and drawing blood, which turned into data particles as it dripped down his neck.

''W-Wait!'' the Hacker suddenly screamed, with the Digimon loosening his grip. ''I-I'll pay you! Y-You can work with me!''

''Why should I work alongside a criminal?'' the Digimon asked, glaring at the man.

''Be-Because I'm after dangerous Digimon,'' the Hacker said in panic. ''There's the Demon Lords and the Royal Knights-aghr!''

''Trust me, I already know about them,'' the Digimon replied, slamming the Hacker against the wall. The Hacker was shaking, his eyes wide when the Digimon suddenly brought his scythe down at him, slashing through his torso. The Hacker screamed in agony, falling over, with a pool of blood and guts forming beneath him.

The Digimon stepped back, staring at the man as he stopped breathing, his body and blood slowly turning into data particles. He shook his scythe, wiping away the blood and walked away. There was a reason why he was called Bounty Hunter, even though he acted more as an assassin, going after whatever criminal he could find. He knew that the guy had done some disturbing things and that he deserved such fate. No one would miss him.

_Now, onto my next target._


	7. To Be With You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. Leave a comment and let me know, it's what motivates me to keep writing it.

**Entry 6**

**To Be With You**

_''A lot has already happened, but our journey must continue. The path seems to be endless, but the goal is clear. Danger lurks everywhere; don't be afraid, I'll be there for you. I will help as much as I can, I will be there with you. How far do I have to go? How many battles do I have to overcome? If you want to reach me, then give me a sign – I am ready!''_

_– **Ich werde da sein** by Digimon Adventure 02_

**xXxXxXx**

''Here we are!''

Keiji stood proudly on the platform overlooking the community area, while Terriermon was standing on his shoulder. Takuto, Guilmon, Setsuna, Impmon and Calumon gaped as they saw the Tamers and Digimon that were walking through the area and chatted with each other. Keiji was right – they landed in the wrong spot at the Cyberspace.

''This is so cool!'' Takuto exclaimed.

''Thank you for showing us,'' Guilmon said, glancing at Keiji. He and Beelzemon had earlier agreed that they would attract less attention if they just walked around as Rookies, especially after Gargomon added that Ultimate and Mega level Digimon weren't really a common sight, even though those kind of Digimon would pop up from time to time. Not to mention, he was still baffled to see a Royal Knight and a Demon Lord, even more when he found out they had Tamers.

''Is there anything else we are supposed to know about this community area… or the Cyberspace in general?'' Setsuna asked Keiji.

''Well, there are several areas that are said to be the territory of other Tamer or Hacker groups,'' Keiji said. ''Basically, they will challenge anyone they perceive as an intruder to a cyber battle.''

''What's a cyber battle?'' Impmon asked.

''A cyber battle is basically a battle in the Cyberspace,'' Terriermon explained to him. ''It is a way to tell someone that they aren't fighting you to death. We had already told you that, even if a Digimon gets deleted in the Cyberspace, if their Tamer has a Digivice, their data can be restored without any harm done to the Digimon. So far, it's the most common way to solve disputes.''

''There was also talk about a battle tournament, something in _Digimon Tamers: Battle Evolution_ style,'' Keiji added. Impmon's green eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

''Really?'' he asked eagerly, excited about the idea of participating at a tournament where he could fight against strong opponents.

''Yeah, but it's just rumors,'' Keiji said, shrugging. Impmon frowned, displeased, with Guilmon giving him a side-gaze. ''There is an arena for battling, though, but nobody really goes there, since it had been only built for official purposes.''

''That's disappointing,'' Impmon said, then looked around. ''Uh, where's Calumon?''

''Over there,'' Terriermon pointed at the area below them. They saw Calumon wandering between the Tamers and Digimon, ending up chatting with a young boy and his partner, a rather surprised Meramon. Terriermon then glanced at Impmon and Guilmon. ''Does he always wander around like this?''

Both Guilmon and Impmon nodded.

''He doesn't really strike me as a fighter,'' Keiji said. ''I am a little worried about what might happen to him if he comes across the wrong Digimon.''

''You're really underestimating Calumon,'' Impmon replied. ''He's more resilient than you think. Besides, I think he had been wandering across the Digital World on his own for quite a while and nothing happened to him.''

''Impmon's right,'' Guilmon said. ''Anyways, let's go after him.''

The group made their way to the community area, with Takuto, Setsuna, Guilmon and Impmon looking around curiously.

''I wonder whether they all landed here the way we did,'' Setsuna said.

''You mean, that app?'' Takuto asked. ''I don't think that's the case. I don't think everyone here played _Digimon Story: Lost World._ ''

''I did,'' Keiji chimed in. ''Did you too got a message on your app?''

''Yeah, we did,'' Takuto said. ''After we accepted, it vanished and we found ourselves at the Cyberspace.''

''The same happened to me,'' Keiji said. ''I had found Terriermon being chased by several viruses, but we managed to fend them off.''

''Not only that, but we also accidentally found out how to return to the Real World during that chase,'' Terriermon added. ''Teamwork at its best.'' He then tilted his head. ''It took us a while to find a way back, though.''

Keiji just chuckled sheepishly. ''In the end, things worked out for us.''

''We kind of had a similar adventure,'' Setsuna said – her, Takuto, Impmon and Guilmon exchanging uncertain glances – and added in a nonchalant tone, ''After all, we told you that we had encountered that Hacker before.''

''Hopefully, it'll be the last time we met him,'' Takuto said. ''Nevertheless, I can imagine that there are a lot more people like him here, maybe even worse.''

''You're right about that,'' Keiji replied. ''Trust me, you will encounter a lot of weird people in your life.''

''Including you guys?'' Setsuna asked. Takuto and Keiji gave her a puzzled look, but then smiled when they noticed her grinning.

''Hey!'' The group looked up, noticing a girl with a Bearmon walking up to them. She appeared to be annoyed, holding Calumon in her arms. ''Does this guy belong to you?''

''–calu!'' Calumon gave them a mischievous smile, completely oblivious to how irritated the other Tamer was.

''Yeah, he does,'' Takuto replied, with the girl giving Calumon to him.

''Tell him to leave us alone; we are not interested in playing games,'' the girl said.

''Seriously, you cannot just approach people and expect them to drop everything to play with you,'' Bearmon added. ''That's not how things work here.''

''Huh?'' Calumon gave them a puzzled look.

''I'm sorry for the trouble,'' Takuto said, with the girl and Bearmon leaving in a huff.

''Why is she so grumpy? –calu,'' Calumon asked, giving Takuto a puzzled look. ''I thought we were playing hide and seek.''

''Creampuff, not everyone is in mood for a game here,'' Impmon told him, with Calumon looking at him and flying over to him, landing on the top of the imp's head. ''Sure, this may not be the DigiWorld, but that doesn't mean that you won't be encountering people that are unfriendly or even hostile. It's better if you stick with us.''

''Okay…'' Calumon muttered, feeling disheartened, his ears shrinking. Takuto then turned to Keiji and Terriermon.

''I know we had mentioned this during our argument, but I hadn't really asked you whether you want to be part of this mess of a team?'' he asked, with Keiji giving him a surprised look. ''I know it's sudden, and I'm not sure whether you are part of another team, or whether you even want…''

''Honestly, I had already thought that we're part of this team,'' Keiji said in a carefree manner.

''Yeah,'' Terriermon added. ''Besides, you still need someone to act as your guide in the Cyberspace.''

''Thanks,'' Takuto said.

''Anyways, should we continue exploring?'' Keiji asked, with everyone nodding. They followed Keiji, but Guilmon started falling behind, not really interested in the tour. He was quite worried, having other things on mind.

''What's wrong?'' Guilmon was startled by Impmon's question. The latter looked rather carefree despite the nature of the question. Calumon, who was still on Impmon's head, gave him a look of concern, but kept quiet.

''You are aware that neither of us will be able to stay for too long with our partners due to our duties,'' Guilmon reminded him. ''Not to mention, I don't think our respective teammates are going to be thrilled by us having Tamers.''

''Speak for yourself,'' Impmon replied. ''It's not like Luce or the others care much about what I'm up to, as long as I don't interfere with their plans.'' He frowned. ''Also, if they attempt to harm Setsuna, they will have to deal with me first.''

''Of course,'' Guilmon muttered, a little relieved. It wasn't as if he didn't trust Impmon to not protect his Tamer, but it was in his nature to make sure that everyone was safe.

''What about you?'' Impmon asked. ''It's not like the rest of the Royal Knights would attempt to harm him, so why are you so worried?''

''It's a bit different for me,'' Guilmon replied. ''I am not completely sure what their reactions will be and I'm worried how that conversation would go.''

''You'd be talking to Alphamon, right?'' Impmon asked. ''He doesn't strike me as the guy who would frown upon you having a Tamer.''

''I know, but that doesn't make me less worried,'' Guilmon told him.

''If you're so worried, why don't you talk to Takuto about it, –calu?'' Calumon asked.

''We did already have a conversation,'' Guilmon replied. ''He doesn't know that I'll have to leave soon, though.''

''Creampuff's right, it would be better if you just told him everything instead of waiting for the last moment to explain what you're planning to do,'' Impmon said. Guilmon nodded.

''Speaking of which, are you going to do the same?'' he asked.

''Of course,'' Impmon said. ''Like I said, there's no reason to keep this secret.''

Guilmon knew that Impmon was right. Frankly, even if the two were rivals and, more importantly, bitter enemies, both knew when to listen to each other. Guilmon knew that, alongside his duties as a Royal Knight, he had chosen to have a Tamer and that he would protect him. He wanted this to work out and he would do anything to stay with Takuto.

**xXx**

''Now, that was awesome,'' Takuto said as he and Guilmon walked back home. It was early evening when they had returned from the Cyberspace and both were quite hungry, but satisfied with their experience, as well as the fact that they became friends with another Tamer and his Digimon.

''I think it would've been better if we didn't have to deal with that Hacker and the viruses, but I guess that it could've been worse,'' Guilmon replied.

''I agree,'' Takuto said, smiling slyly. ''After that intimidation, I sincerely doubt that he is going to target us ever again.''

''I wouldn't be so sure,'' Guilmon told him. ''It would be better if we both remained careful.''

Takuto shrugged, more or less agreeing with Guilmon's suggestion. Despite the fiasco with the Hacker and the viruses, he had enjoyed himself and was looking forward to another adventure. However, it seemed that this adventure was just around the corner – he still had to sneak Guilmon past his mother. Once they reached the public trash can close to Takuto's house, they stopped, with Takuto staring at it in surprise.

''Where's the box? I know I left it here,'' Takuto said, only to sigh in annoyance. ''Of course, it had probably been picked up by the garbage truck. I shouldn't have left it here.''

''So, what do we do?'' Guilmon asked.

''I guess I'll have to introduce you to my mum,'' Takuto said, shrugging. ''I had already figured that this would happen eventually, but still, I'm not looking forward to her reaction.''

Guilmon wanted to tell his Tamer how he knew how Takuto felt, because he had the same feeling concerning telling Alphamon and the rest of the Royal Knights about having a Tamer. He could hear Impmon's voice echoing in his mind, _''Like I said, there's no reason to keep this secret.''_

_I know… But, just like Takuto, I'm not looking forward to their reactions._

The two walked over to the front door, stepping in front of it and exchanging nervous glances. Takuto took a deep breath, him and Guilmon entering the house. Both were a little nervous when they heard Takuto's mother walking around in the kitchen.

''I'm home!'' Takuto announced his presence, taking his shoes off, with his mother walking out of the kitchen and into the hallway.

''Oh, Takuto, I just had- aaaaghhh!'' Kimiko screamed, pointing at Guilmon and shaking. ''Wha- What's that?!''

''Mum, please, don't freak out,'' Takuto said, already regretting it, as his statement had no effect on his mother's reaction. All he could hope was that Guilmon would somehow endear himself to Kimiko. ''This is Guilmon and he's my Digimon partner.''

''P-partner…'' Kimiko stuttered, leaning against the wall. ''What are you talking about, Takuto?''

Takuto glanced at Guilmon, with both nodding. Guilmon then stepped up, walking over to Kimiko, who withdrew.

''I'm Guilmon,'' he introduced himself, his voice calm and compassionate. ''I'm deeply sorry for scaring you, but I can assure you, you can trust me.''

''Wh-what?'' Kimiko stepped back, still in shock. It wasn't every day that a huge dinosaur that talks walks into your home. Guilmon tilted his head and stepped back in order to give her more space, with Kimiko slowly calming down once she realized that the dinosaur Digimon wasn't as dangerous as she thought he would be. Then, it dawned on her. ''Wait, your behaviour yesterday…''

''I had figured that you would freak out after seeing Guilmon, so I kept him hidden,'' Takuto admitted, rubbing the back of his head. ''Unfortunately, the box I used to smuggle him here had vanished and I realized that I have really no reason to keep him a secret from you.''

''You know, you could've prepared me for this instead of giving me a heart attack,'' Kimiko said, taking a deep breath. ''I mean, I know about Digimon, since you're constantly talking about it, but I had no idea they're… well, real.''

''To be honest, I just found out yesterday, so you're not out of the loop for that long,'' Takuto said, chuckling nervously. He then gave his mother a determined look. ''Mum, Guilmon can stay with us, right? I promise, he won't cause any trouble.''

''Well…'' Kimiko glanced at Guilmon, who gave her an innocent smile. She had to admit that he was kind of cute. ''He can stay…''

''Yes!'' Takuto did a fist-pump.

''However, what I'm worried about is, if Guilmon is real, then what about all those other monsters you've been telling me about; those other Digimon?'' Kimiko asked. ''They're real too, aren't they? Not to mention, very dangerous.''

''Unfortunately, yes, there are dangerous Digimon,'' Guilmon answered. ''However, that's why I'm here. Aside from being Takuto's partner, I'm also a Royal Knight, sworn to protect others from dangerous Digimon and making sure that Takuto's safe is my top priority.''

''I see…'' Kimiko looked at Guilmon, still feeling tense. She then sighed. ''Okay, I trust you. Just, make sure that Takuto stays out of danger.''

''I will do my best,'' Guilmon told her. Kimiko then gave him a calculating look.

''Say, Guilmon… How do you feel about having omurice with with mayonnaise and fish for dinner?'' she asked. Guilmon tilted his head quizzically, while Takuto just stared at his mother completely exasperated.

''Not again,'' he muttered, only to give her a questioning look. ''Wait, why mayonnaise?''

''Well, we're out of ketchup,'' Kimiko replied, smiling sheepishly.

''I guess that's fine,'' Takuto said, sighing. ''Guilmon and I are going to be in my room. Just call us when dinner's ready.''

''No problem,'' Kimiko said happily and went to the kitchen. Takuto glanced at Guilmon, who was still a little confused.

''Mark my words, she's going to make you her next food tester,'' he said.

''Is that a bad thing?'' Guilmon asked.

''Not really, but Mum has a tendency to come up with the weirdest dishes I've ever seen,'' Takuto replied as he and Guilmon went upstairs.

Guilmon thought about it for a moment, then said, ''I think I already know a person like that.''

''Really?'' Takuto asked as the two entered his room.

''Yeah, but that's a story for another time,'' Guilmon told him. Takuto nodded, then stretched his arms.

''Honestly, I thought that this introduction would've turned out much worse,'' he said, sighing in relief. He glanced at Guilmon, who appeared to be still tense and worried. ''Guilmon, is everything alright?''

Guilmon looked up at him, at first reluctant, but then gave him a determined look.

''I need to report to Alphamon,'' Guilmon told him.

''What?'' Takuto stared at him in surprise.

''I will have to go back to the Digital World,'' Guilmon continued. ''Unfortunately, I am not completely sure whether you should come-''

''I'm going with you,'' Takuto said. ''We're partners and if there's some issue you need to deal with, I'll help you. We're in this together.''

''I was afraid that you'll say that,'' Guilmon said, taking a deep breath. ''I've been thinking about this for a while, and I had figured that I should just accept it and move on.''

''Well, it's been like two days, so it's kind of obvious that you would still be worried about how to handle things,'' Takuto said. ''Rest assured, I'll be by your side no matter how difficult it gets.''

''Thank you, Takuto,'' Guilmon replied.

''So, when are we going to the Digital World?'' Takuto asked. ''Should we leave tomorrow?''

''Sounds good to me,'' Guilmon nodded. He noticed that Takuto looked rather excited and while he did share the same sentiment, he couldn't help himself but remain worried. After all, the results of this visit would determine their future as partners.

Nevertheless, he wasn't going down without a fight.

**xXx**

Setsuna sighed as she exited the grocery store, holding a plastic bag full of ready-made food, mostly because she wasn't interested in cooking and she also had to feed her two roommates. As she was walking back home, she checked her D-App, noticing two dots on the radar, aware that it was just Impmon and Calumon following her by jumping on the rooftops and lampposts.

_They're probably just as hungry as I am._

She noted that it wouldn't take too long to get back home and make dinner for all three of them, looking forward to opening the curry rice. Suddenly, her D-App flashed, revealing another dot.

''Another Digimon?'' she muttered, looking around and quickly entering a nearby street. She was joined by Impmon and Calumon, who appeared to be just as tense as she was. She glanced at her partner. ''I guess you sensed it too, right?''

''Yeah,'' Impmon nodded, trying to figure out where the Digimon in question was, while Setsuna glanced on her D-App. Calumon was a little worried about where this was going, but decided not to voice his concern, believing that Setsuna and Impmon would be able to handle this. Even though he didn't like battling, he too could sense whenever a Digimon was nearby.

Eventually, Setsuna and Impmon managed to figure out where the signal was coming from and ran towards it, with Setsuna eventually realizing that it was coming from a nearby underground parking lot. Impmon was already ahead of her, having entered the parking lot, with Calumon landing down next to him, both staring into the darkness. She frowned as she saw Reiko stepping out of the shadows, followed by her partner, Renamon.

''Tsukiya,'' Setsuna muttered as she saw Reiko approaching her. ''What do you want from us?''

''Isn't it obvious?'' Reiko replied, her arms folded on her chest. Renamon gave Impmon an icy glare. ''Renamon and I want a rematch.''

''I'm fine with it,'' Impmon said, grinning. Setsuna didn't look convinced, glancing around the parking lot.

''Here? I mean, it's not like we're in a digital field,'' she said, feeling doubtful about that idea. Reiko's eyes narrowed as she stared coldly at Setsuna.

''Renamon,'' she said, not even looking at her partner. Renamon suddenly lunged towards Impmon and Calumon, with Impmon grabbing Calumon and dodging Renamon's attack by jumping backwards and landing next to Setsuna. He let go of Calumon and gave Renamon a death glare, the latter just taking a battle stance, her tail flicking.

Setsuna realized that the battle would be taking place, despite the fact that an underground parking lot didn't make the best battle field. Calumon didn't appear to like that idea either.

''This isn't good, –calu,'' he muttered as he flew up and landed on Setsuna's shoulder, observing Impmon and Renamon with great concern. Setsuna just frowned, a determined look forming on her expression.

''Fine,'' she grumbled.

 _''Diamond Storm!''_ Without a warning, Renamon made her move by leaping into the air and releasing a barrage of glowing sharp leaves at Impmon. The latter managed to dodge the attack again by rolling to the side and lighting flames on his fingers. Then, while still in a crouching position, he fired those flames at Renamon.

_''Night of Fire!''_

Renamon crossed her arms in front of her face, shielding herself from the small explosions the flames produced. Sparks of light appeared in front of her as she suddenly released another barrage of sharp leaves.

_''Diamond Storm!''_

_''Night of Blizzard!''_

Impmon countered the leaf storm with a barrage of ice shards, causing the attacks to collide and result in a minor explosion. Renamon then leapt through the smoke, igniting her paws in blue flames and striking at Impmon. Being caught off guard, Impmon was sent flying towards a nearby car, hitting it hard and leaving a dent in the hood.

''Impmon!'' Setsuna watched as her partner hoisted himself up, glaring at Renamon, who was just observing him curiously.

''I had hoped that you two would be more of a threat,'' Reiko said. ''Where's that confidence you had shown earlier?''

''We're just getting started!'' Setsuna replied angrily, with Impmon managing to get on his feet and facing Renamon again.

''We'll see,'' Reiko replied, with Renamon charging once again towards Impmon.

 _''Night of Fire!''_ Impmon once again summoned flames on his fingertips, firing them at Renamon, who easily dodged the attack, thanks to her agility and got closer. However, she realized too late that this was Impmon's plan, noticing the smirk on his expression at the last second. _''Pillar of Fire!''_

Much to Renamon's surprise, Impmon created a dome of fire around him, with Renamon lunging right into it. She shielded her eyes, feeling the flames burning her skin and as she opened them, a sphere of fire and ice hit her.

''Renamon!'' Reiko cried out, losing her cool. Meanwhile, the flames around Impmon dispersed, with him stepping towards Renamon with another _Night of Fire_ attack.

 _''Kohenkyo!''_ In an attempt to get more time to recover, Renamon used her Fox Switch Deception move, vanishing in a whirl of leaves. Impmon quickly attacked her, but she was already gone.

''Where is she?'' Impmon muttered, looking around for Renamon. It was growing darker and darker in the parking lot, but that didn't hinder his ability to see, thanks to him being a demon Digimon and a resident of the Dark Area. As a matter of fact, he hoped that the darkness would put Renamon to a disadvantage. Suddenly, he spotted a dark figure crouching between the cars. _''Night of Fire!''_

Renamon leapt, using the nearby car as a leverage and tried to get as close to Impmon as possible. At the same time, Reiko pulled out her D-App.

 _''Card Scan! Boost Chip!''_ She tapped the card, causing it to spin and turn into data particles, which got absorbed into the D-App. This gave Renamon a small power boost.

_''Diamond Storm!''_

_''Card Scan! Black Brave Shield!''_ Aware that Impmon wasn't fast enough to dodge Renamon's attack, Setsuna pulled out her own D-App, scanning the card and summoning BlackWarGreymon's shield for Impmon to defend himself. The shield was big enough to cover him entirely, and after the sharp leaves dispersed, Impmon suddenly lifted the shield and swung it, letting it fly straight at Renamon. Renamon managed to swiftly dodge the attack, causing it to hit the front window of the car behind her and cracking it, then turning into data particles. The car alarm kicked in, only to stop once Renamon landed on the car, creating a dent in the hood.

 _Good thing there aren't any cameras around,_ Setsuna thought sheepishly. _The last thing we need is the owner of the car to suddenly appear._

It seemed like she wasn't the only one who thought about it, as she noticed the hesitant look on Reiko's expression. Not only that, but Impmon, Renamon and even Calumon appeared to think the same – they could continue the fight, but they would get caught.

''You know, if you digivolved, this would've been over much sooner,'' Renamon suddenly told Impmon, with the latter looking at first dumbfounded, before smirking.

''Why don't you try to digivolve?'' he replied. ''I recall you doing the same in our last fight.''

Renamon rose an eyebrow, observing Impmon intently. ''We both are aware that this is was not the point of my question.'' Her tail flicked as she tensed. ''After all, crushing your opponents into data bits is something I'd expect from a Demon Lord.''

''Trust me, Foxy, I'm more comfortable fighting you this way, while I'm at my Rookie level,'' Impmon replied, smirking. ''I don't tend to pick on Digimon that are weaker than me.'' Reiko and Renamon both twitched, glaring at him, with Impmon adding in a mocking tone, ''Why don't you fight me after you reach your Mega level? Until then, don't expect me to go all out on you.''

While Renamon kept her calm, Reiko was quite irritated. She and Renamon had been working quite hard to get to Champion level and were currently on the path to reach Ultimate, so being told that they were still too weak to be considered worthy opponents was quite an insult.

Setsuna, on the other hand, sighed in exasperation, feeling that this wasn't the time nor place to suddenly starting insulting their opponents. She could feel Calumon crawling up on the top of her head and patting her, having noticed that she was feeling troubled. However, before either of them could do anything, they suddenly heard steps echoing from the far side of the parking lot.

''Damn it!'' Setsuna hissed, both her and Reiko realizing that they'd have to leave. Reiko ran, with Renamon disappearing in the shadows. Setsuna, Impmon and Calumon meanwhile took off in the opposite direction, managing to get back on the street without any further complications.

''Seems like we were right about those two living here,'' Impmon said as he, Setsuna and Calumon started walking back home.

''Right… and I'm sure that we'll be seeing them again,'' Setsuna replied. ''I guess I should tell Takuto and Guilmon about this encounter.''

''I don't think we'll be seeing Takuto or Guilmon any time soon, –calu,'' Calumon said.

''Why not?'' Setsuna asked.

''Because Guilmon said that he would have to return to the Digital World, –calu,'' Calumon replied. ''He didn't look happy about it, though.''

''Duke is worried about how the other Royal Knights would react to him having a Tamer,'' Impmon explained. ''I had told him that he'd have to go through it, whether he wants it or not and that he probably doesn't have much to worry about.''

''I see,'' Setsuna said. ''I can understand why he's worried. Being a Royal Knight, he should be focused on protecting the Digital World rather than going on adventures.''

''You're right, but no matter what he says, Gallantmon wasn't really a strict follower of rules,'' Impmon said.

''Really?'' Setsuna rose an eyebrow, with Impmon smirking.

''Let's just say that we had an influence on each other,'' he said. Setsuna tilted her head.

''So, what about you? Don't you have to go to the Digital World too? After all, you are part of another infamous group,'' Setsuna asked. Impmon shrugged.

''One thing about being a Demon Lord is that the rest of the team doesn't care with their other members are up to, as long as I don't interfere with their individual plans,'' Impmon explained. ''Trust me, the only reason the Digital World isn't a hellscape is because none of us are working together the way the Royal Knights or Celestial Angels would. Hell, I think it would be easier to convince an Angemon to become a permanent resident of the Dark Area rather than make the Demon Lords work together.''

He then crossed his arms behind his head, walking ahead of Setsuna and Calumon, adding in a carefree tone, ''Of course, I am aware that I'd have to eventually reveal that I have a Tamer, so if you agree, we could go there at some point. It makes no sense to worry about something that hasn't happened yet if you're not willing to confront the issue.''

''I'm fine with that idea,'' Setsuna said, with Impmon turning around, giving her a curious look. Setsuna looked quite confident, with Impmon nodding.

He didn't expect anything less from his Tamer.


End file.
